The Soul Melted

 When on my Beloved I gaze,

  So dazzling His beauties appear,

His charms so transcendently blaze,

  The sight is too melting to bear.

 

When from my own vileness I turn,

To Jesus exposed on the tree,

With shame and with wonder I burn,

To think what He suffered for me.

 

My sins, how black they appear,

When in that dear bosom they meet!

My sins were the nails and the spear

That wounded His hands and His feet.

 

Twas justice that wreathed for His head,

  The thorns that encircled it round;

Your temples, Immanuel bled,

  That mine might with glory be crowned.

 

The wonderful love of His heart,

Where He has recorded my name,

On earth can be known but in part;

Heaven only can bear the full flame.

 

In rivers of sorrow it flowed,

  And flowed in those rivers for me,

My sins are all drowned in His blood; 

  My soul is both happy and free!

[Joseph Swain]

Isaiah 53:5 ... But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

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God's Decrees!

Sovereign Ruler of the skies,

Ever gracious, ever wise.

All my times are in your hand,

All events at your command.

His decree who formed the earth,

Fixed my first and second birth.

Parents, native place, and time,

All were appointed by Him.

He who formed me in the womb,

He shall guide me to the tomb.

All my times shall ever be,

Ordered by His wise decree.

Times of sickness times of health,

Times of poverty and wealth.

Times of trial and of grief,

Times of triumph and relief.

Times the tempter's power to prove,

Times to taste the Savior's love.

All must come, and last, and end,

As shall please my heavenly Friend.

Plagues and deaths around me fly,

Until He bids, I cannot die.

Not a single shaft can hit,

Until the God of love sees fit!

[John Ryland]

Isaiah 46:9-10 ... Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

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The Sovereignty of God

Keep silence all created things,

And wait your Maker's nod. 

My soul stands trembling while she sings, 

The glories of her God. 

Life, death, and Hell, and worlds unknown, 

Hang on His firm decree. 

He sits on no precarious throne, 

Nor asks assent to be. 

Chained to His throne, 

a volume lies, 

With all the fates of men, 

With every angel's form and size, 

Drawn by the eternal pen. 

His providence unfolds the book, 

And makes His counsels shine. 

Each opening leaf, and every stroke, 

Fulfills some deep design. 

Here He exalts neglected worms, 

To kingship and a crown, 

And then the following page 

He turns and treads the monarch down. 

My God, I would not long to see, 

My fate with curious eyes. 

What gloomy lines are writ for me, 

Or what bright scenes may rise. 

In your pure book of life and grace, 

O may I find my name, 

Recorded in some humble place, 

Beneath my Lord the Lamb. 

 [Isaac Watts]

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O Holy Night

O Holy night, 

the stars are brightly shining 

It is the night of our dear Savior's birth 

Long lay the world in sin and error, pining 

'Til He appeared, and the soul felt its worth 

A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices 

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn 

Fall on your knees O hear the angel voices 

O night divine O night when Christ was born 

O night divine O night, O night divine 

Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother 

And in His name all oppression shall cease 

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we 

Let all within us praise His holy name 

Christ is the Lord Let ever, ever praise Thee 

Noel, Noel

O night divine

Noel, Noel

O night divine

 

Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

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, O take and seal it, 

Seal it for Thy courts above! 

 O that day when freed from sinning, 

I shall see Thy lovely face; 

Clothed then in blood-washed linen 

How I'll sing Thy sovereign grace! 

 [Robert Robinson]

Isaiah 53:6 ...  All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. ❤

"How Much I Owe"

 When this passing life is done,

When has set yon' glaring sun.

When I stand with Christ in glory,

Looking o'er life's finished story.

Then, Lord, shall I fully know,

But not 'til then, how much I owe!

When I hear the wicked call,

On the rocks and hills to fall.

When I see them start and shrink

On that fiery deluge brink.

Then, Lord, shall I fully know,

But not 'til then, how much I owe!

When I stand before Thy throne,

Dressed in beauty not my own.

When I see Thee as Thou art,

Love Thee with unsinning heart.

Then, Lord, shall I fully know,

But not 'til then, how much I owe!

[Lyrics by Robert Murray M'Cheyne, 1813-1843]

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Galatians 2:20 ... I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

1 John 3:1 ... Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

John 13:1 ... Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. ❤

Wonder of Wonders

O the wonder of wonders, that God should love me! Love a sinner so guilty, so vile and unclean. To love the unlovely, O how can it be done? 

'Tis only in Jesus, through His blessed Son! Long before I ever knew Him, my Lord first knew me; Before I ever sought Him, my Lord first sought me!  

When I was in darkness, His sworn enemy, He purchased my pardon on Calvary's tree! His love is a mountain that I cannot scale!  As wide as an ocean that I cannot sail! 

I'll never lay hold of, my mind fully see, This love that in mercy first laid hold of me!  Now that I first did choose Him, for that could not be! 

Still this heart would refuse Him, had He left it to me. I'd still fight that battle that no man can win, I'd still bar the heart's door that letteth Him in! 

His love is a mountain that I cannot scale! As wide as an ocean that I cannot sail! I'll never lay hold of, my mind fully see, This love that in mercy first laid hold of me! 

[Mark Webb] 

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John 13:1 ... Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.

John 15:9 ... As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

Galatians 2:20 ...  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

1 John 3:1 ... Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. ❤

"Just As I Am"

I will take the liberty to simply and briefly paraphrase the main idea of Miss Elliott's timeless hymn: "Just as I am," a sinner bankrupt of all righteousness, vile, self-destroyed, lost I come! 

"Just as I am," my soul steeped in the deepest guilt, laden with sins as innumerable as the sands, and red like crimson I come! 

"Just as I am," with all my atheistic thoughts and infidel principles, and rebellious opposition, and carnal lusts, and worldly attachments I come! 

"Just as I am," a wreck tossed to and fro upon life's murky waters, and ready to perish I come! 

"Just as I am," a moral parricide, having broken a pious mother's heart, and bowed a godly father's grey hairs in sorrow to the grave, beggared of all, bereft of all, abandoned of all I come! 

"Just as I am," without one atom of worthiness, or one plea of merit, or one ray of hope springing from myself, and with nothing to pay I come! 

"Just as I am," reeking from the swine's trough, starving, bankrupt, covered with guilt and poverty and shame "I come, O Lamb of God, to You!" 

Could Gabriel, "standing in the presence of God," awaken his trumpet to a sentiment more sublime, a truth more precious, a hope more glorious than is embodied in the very first stanzas of this magnificent hymn? Impossible! Are you desiring to reach the Savior? Are you struggling through a crowd of opposition and temptation and difficulty so that you might but touch the fringe of His flowing robe descending to His feet, and within the reach of the lowliest penitent and the weakest faith, and be saved? 

Oh, let the voice of the dear departed one, speaking as from the tomb, aid and encourage you in your blessed and holy endeavor to get to Christ, "just as you are!" Jesus has done all, suffered all, paid all, and invites all! With a nature full of grace, and with a heart overflowing with love, and with outstretched hands pierced for your sins He is prepared to receive and save you, to wash your sin-soiled, guilt-stained soul in His all-cleansing blood; and to cover your spiritual nakedness with the robe of His all-justifying and imputed Righteousness, "which is unto all and upon all those who believe." 

Oh, then, take up the last stanza of this inimitable hymn, and in its glowing language proclaim, as from the house-top your deliberate and solemn vow of dedication to King Jesus: "Just as I am! Your LOVE alone Has broken every barrier down; Now to be Thine, and Thine alone, O Lamb of God, I come!" 

[Octavius Winslow - A Tribute to the Memory of Miss Charlotte Elliott]

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Psalm 34:11 ... Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

Matthew 11:28 ... Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Isaiah 1:18 ... Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. ❤

Different Hymns for Different Folks

 The Dentist's Hymn ... Crown Him with Many Crowns

The Weatherman's Hymn ... There Shall Be Showers of Blessing

The Contractor's Hymn ... The Church's One Foundation

The Tailor's Hymn ... Holy, Holy, Holy

The Golfer's Hymn ... There is A Green Hill Far Away

The Politician's Hymn ... Standing on the Promises

The Optometrist's Hymn ... Open My Eyes That I Might See

The Tax Agent's Hymn ... I Surrender All

The Gossip's Hymn ... Pass It On

The Electrician's Hymn ... Send the Light

The Shopper's Hymn ... Sweet By and By

The Realtor's Hymn ... I've Got A Mansion Just Over the Hilltop

The Pilot's Hymn ... I'll Fly Away

The Paramedic's Hymn ... Revive Us Again

The Judge's Hymn ... Almost Persuaded

The Psychiatrist's Hymn ... Just A Little Talk With Jesus

The Architect's Hymn ... How Firm A Foundation

The Credit Card Telemarketer's Hymn ... A Charge To Keep I Have

The Zookeeper's Hymn ... All Creatures of Our God and King

The Postal Worker's Hymn ... So Send I You

The Waiter's Hymn ... Fill My Cup, Lord

The Gardener's Hymn ... Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming

The Lifeguard's Hymn ... Rescue the Perishing

The Criminal's Hymn ... Search Me, O God

The Baker's Hymn ... When the Roll Is Called Up Yonder

The Shoe Repairer's Hymn ... It Is Well with My Soul

The Travel Agent's Hymn ... Anywhere with Jesus

The Geologist's Hymn ... Rock of Ages

The Hematologist's Hymn ... Are You Washed in the Blood?

The Men's wear Clerk's Hymn ... Blest Be the Tie

The Umpire's Hymn ... I Need No Other Argument

The Librarian's Hymn ... Whispering Hope

The Fisherman's Hymn ... Shall We Gather at The River?  ツ 

Turn Around.

Long my imprisoned spirit lay. 

Fast bound in sin and nature's night. 

Thine eye diffused a quickening ray, I woke, 

the dungeon flamed with light. 

My chains fell off, my heart was free. 

I rose, went forth and followed Thee! 

 [Charles Wesley]

Hebrews 6:1 ... Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

Mark 8:34 ... And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. ❤

I Love To tell The Story

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 As nothing else can do. 

I love to tell the story! 

‘Twill be my theme in glory To tell the old, 

old story Of Jesus and His love. 

[Catherine Hanley - 1866]

I Come To The Garden Alone

I come to the garden alone,

While the dew is still on the roses;

And the voice I hear, falling on my ear,

The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me, and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am His own,

And the joy we share as we tarry there,

None other has ever known.

He speaks, and the sound of His voice

Is so sweet the birds hush their singing;

And the melody that He gave to me

Within my heart is ringing.

I'd stay in the garden with Him

Tho' the night around me be falling;

But He bids me go; thro' the voice of woe,

His voice to me is calling.

[C. Austin Miles]

Will Jesus Find Us Watching?

Oh can we say we are ready brother,

Ready for the soul's bright home. 

Say will He find you and me still watching, 

Waiting ,waiting when the Lord shall come.

When Jesus comes to reward His servants,

Whether it be noon or night,

Faithful to Him will He find us watching,

With our lamps all trimmed and bright?

Oh, can we say we are ready, brother?

Ready for the soul’s bright home?

Say, will He find you and me still watching,

Waiting, waiting when the Lord shall come?

If, at the dawn of the early morning,

He shall call us one by one,

When to the Lord we restore our talents,

Will He answer thee, “Well done”?

Have we been true to the trust He left us?

Do we seek to do our best?

If in our hearts there is naught condemns us,

We shall have a glorious rest.

Blessed are those whom the Lord finds watching,

In His glory they shall share;

If He shall come at the dawn or midnight,

Will He find us watching there?

[Fanny Crosby]

Proverbs 8:34 … Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.❤

Silent Night of the Soul

Long before Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber created the familiar carol “Silent Night,” Angelus Silesius had written:  Lo! in the silent night a child to God is born,  And all is brought again that ere was lost or lorn.  Could but thy soul, O man, become a silent night, God would be born in thee and set all things aright.

Silesius, a Polish monk, published the poem in 1657 in The Cherubic Pilgrim.During our church’s annual Christmas Eve service, the choir sang a beautiful rendition of the song titled “Could but Thy Soul Become a Silent Night.”

The twofold mystery of Christmas is that God became one of us so that we might become one with Him. Jesus suffered everything that was wrong so that we could be made right. That’s why the apostle Paul could write, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone; the new is here! All this is from God who reconciled us to himself through Christ.”  Whether our Christmas is filled with family and friends or empty of all we long for, we know that Jesus came to be born in us.

Ah, would thy heart but be a manger for the birth, God would once more become a child on earth.

Lord Jesus, thank You for being born into this dark world so that we might be born again into Your life and light. God became one of us so that we might become one with Him.

[David C. McCasland]

2 Corinthians 5:14–21 ...   For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:   And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.  Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.❤

The Holy and The Just

And did the Holy and the Just,

The Sovereign of the skies,

Stoop down to wretchedness and dust,

That guilty worms might rise?

Yes, the Redeemer left His throne,

His radiant throne on high,

(Surprising mercy! love unknown!)

To suffer, bleed, and die!

He took the dying traitor's place,
And suffered in his stead;
For man (O miracle of grace!)
For man, the Savior bled!

Dear Lord, what heavenly wonders dwell
In Your atoning blood!
By this are sinners snatched from Hell,
And rebels brought to God!

What glad return can I impart
For favors so divine?
O take my all, this worthless heart,
And make it wholly Thine!

[Anne Steele, 1859]

In Evil Long, I Took Delight

In evil long I took delight,

Unawed by shame or fear,

Till a new Object struck my sight,

And stopped my wild career!

I saw One hanging on a tree,

In agony and blood,

Who fixed His languid eyes on me,

As near His cross I stood.

Surely, never to my dying breath,

Can I forget that look;

It seemed to charge me with His death,

Though not a word He spoke.

My conscience felt and owned the guilt,

And plunged me in despair,

I saw my sins, His blood had spilt,

And helped to nail Him there!

Alas! I knew not what I did,

But now my tears are vain;

Where shall my trembling soul be hid

For I, the Lord have slain!

A second look He gave, which said,

'I freely all forgive;

This blood is for your ransom paid;

I die, that you may live!'

Thus while His death, my sin displays

In all its blackest hue,

Such is the mystery of grace,

It seals my pardon too!

With pleasing grief and mournful joy,

My spirit now is filled;

That I should such a life destroy,

Yet live by Him I killed!

[John Newton]

Romans 3:26 ... To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Romans 4:25 ... Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.❤

The Beauty of Jesus

Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me, All His wonderful passion and purity; O Thou Spirit divine, May I truly be Thine, Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.

Let my wonderful Saviour be seen in me, His amazing compassion and constancy;  His great love is my goal, By His Spirit’s control, Till me wonderful Saviour be seen in me.

Let the fruit of the Spirit be seen in me, Grant me grace all sufficient that I may be,  True and faithful each day, Ev’ry step of the way. Pointing souls to the Saviour on Calvary.

[written by: Tom M. Jones]

Song of Solomon 4:7 ... Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.

Psalm 50:2 ...  Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.

Zechariah 9:17 ... For how great is his goodness, and how great is his beauty! corn shall make the young men cheerful, and new wine the maids.

Matthew 5:16 ... Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.❤

Do Not I Love Thee, Oh My Lord

Do not I love Thee, O my Lord? Behold my heart and see; And turn each cursèd idol out, That dares to rival Thee. 

Do not I love Thee from my soul? Then let me nothing love; Dead be my heart to every joy, When Jesus cannot move.

Is not Thy name melodious still To mine attentive ear?

Doth not each pulse with pleasure bound My Savior’s voice to hear?  Hast Thou a lamb in all Thy flock I would disdain to feed? 

Hast Thou a foe, before whose face I fear Thy cause to plead? 

Would not mine ardent spirit vie. With angels round the throne, To execute Thy sacred will, And make Thy glory known? 

Would not my heart pour forth its blood In honor of Thy name? And challenge the cold hand of death  To damp the immortal flame?

Thou know’st I love Thee, dearest Lord, But O! I long to soar Far from the sphere of mortal joys, And learn to love Thee more!

[written by: Philip Doddridge]

Matthew 22:37 ... Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.❤

I Am Not Skilled to Understand

I am not skilled to understand    
What God hath willed, what God hath planned;  I only know at His right hand, Is One who is my Savior!

I take Him at His word indeed; Christ died for sinners" this I read; For in my heart I find a need Of Him to be my Savior!

That He should leave His place on high, And come for sinful man to die, You count it strange? So once did I,
Before I knew my Savior!

And oh, that He fulfilled may see, The travail of His soul in me, And with His work contented be, As I with my dear Savior!

Yea, living, dying, let me bring, My strength, my solace from this spring; That He who lives to be my king, Once died to be my Savior!

[Dorothy Greenwell - 1873]

Romans 5:7-8 ... For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.  But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 8:34 ... Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Hebrews 12:12 ... Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.❤

Breast the Wave, Christian

Breast the wave, Christian, when it is strongest;
Watch for day, Christian, when the night’s longest;
Onward and upward still be thine endeavor;
The rest that remaineth will be forever.

Fight the fight, Christian, Jesus is o’er thee;
Run the race, Christian, Heav’n is before thee;
He Who hath promised faltereth never;
The love of eternity flows on forever.

Lift thine eye, Christian, just as it closeth;
Raise thy heart, Christian, ere it reposeth;
Thee from the love of Christ nothing shall sever;
And when all thy work is done, praise Him forever.

[written by: Jo­seph Stam­mers]

1 Corinthians 9:24 ... Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.

1 Timothy 6:12 ... Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

2 Timothy 4:7 ... I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:❤