God's Wrath against Sexual Deviance

Good morning!

Homosexual practices are against nature and against revealed truth... Homosexual indulgence is something which God condemns as the ultimate sign of decadence and degradation in any culture -- O. R. Johnston.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by thier unrighteousness suppress the truth.  ....Therefore, God gave them up in the lust of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with lust for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done (Romans 1:18, 24-28).

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A hymn to read or sing in worship to the Triune God:  FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT. 

Death

Good morning!

Death. We picture death as coming to destroy; let us rather picture Christ as coming to save. We think of death as ending; let us rather think of life as beginning, and that more abundantly. We think of losing; let us think of gaining. We think of parting, let us think of meeting. We think of going away; let us thing of arriving. And as the voice of death whispers "You must go from earth," let us hear the voice of Christ saying, "You are but coming to Me." ---- Norman MacLeod. 

Precious in the sight of our LORD is the death of His saints (Psalm 116:15). 

Into Thy hand I commit my spirit; Thou hast redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God (Psalm 31:5). 

A hymn to be read, sung, or hummed to the glory of God: ABIDE WITH ME: FAST FALLS THE EVENTIDE. 

Blessing

Good morning!

Learn to put your hand on all spiritual blessings in Christ and say, 'Mine' -- F. B. Meyer.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).

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A hymn to read or sing to the glory of God: A CHILD OF THE KING.

Thankfulness

Good Morning! 

From David learn to give thanks for everything. Every furrow in the Book of Psalms is sown with the seeds of thanksgiving.----Jeremy Taylor.

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O most High: To show forth Thy loving kindness in the morning, and Thy faithfulness every night. (Psalm 92:1, 2).

My lips will shout for joy when I sing praises to You; my soul also, which You have redeemed(Psalm 71:23). A hymn to read or sing aloud to the glory of God: HOW GOOD IT IS TO THANK THE LORD. 

Heaven

Good morning!

 

I would not give one moment of heaven for all the joy and riches of the world, even if it lasted for thousands and thousands of years. ---- Martin Luther

 

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us (Romans 8:18).

 

A hymn to be read or sung in worship to God: TEACH ME, O LORD, THY HOLY WAY.

Meditation

Good morning!

MEDITATION.  Meditation is to Bible knowledge what digestion is to food ---- the way to get life out of it. pgs. 

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in it season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does he prospers (Psalm 1:1-3). 

A hymn to be read or sung or hummed to the glory of God: BREAK THOU THE BREAD OF LIFE.

Thoughtfulness

Good morning!

Malice is mental murder. ---- Thomas Watson.

Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:31-32).

A hymn to be read or sung in worship to God: BLEST BE THE TIE THAT BINDS.

Readiness

Good morning!

It is your duty and glory to do that every day that you would willingly do on a dying day. ---- Thomas Brooks

Therefore, be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not, the Son of Man cometh(Matthew 24:44).

A hymn to be read or sung aloud to the glory of God: Rejoice, All Ye Believers

Faithfulness

Good morning!

God is always like Himself. ---- John Calvin

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning (James 1:17; ).

For I am the LORD, I do not change; therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob (Malachi 3:6).

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A hymn to be read or sung aloud to the glory of God: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS 

Light

Good morning!

LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE. Be such a person, and live such a life, that if everyone were as you are, and every life a life like yours, this earth would be God's Paradise. ---- pgs (after Phillips Brooks).

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven (Matthew 5:14-16).

A hymn to read or sing aloud to the glory of God: LORD, SPEAK TO ME THAT I MAY SPEAK

Joy

Good morning!

JOY. We are meant to enjoy our salvation, not endure it.  John Blanchard

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I have set the LORD always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices (Psalm 16:5-6, 8-9). 

A hymn to read or sing aloud to the glory of God: JOY TO THE WORLD, THE LORD IS COME.  

Wisdom

Good morning!

WISDOM.  Knowledge is the foundation of wisdom. Stephen Charnock

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding(Proverbs 2:1-6).

A hymn to read or sing aloud to the glory of God: MAY THE MIND OF CHRIST MY SAVIOR. 

Refuge

Good morning!

God is great, and therefore He will be sought: He is good, and therefore He will be found. ---- John Jay.

There is none like Thee, O LORD; Thou are great, and Thy name is great in might. Who would not fear Thee, O King of the nations? For this is Thy due; for among all the wise ones of the nations and in all their kingdoms there is none like Thee. Thou art the true God; the living God and the everlasting King.  (Jeremiah 10:10).

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon(Isaiah 55:7).

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A hymn to read or sing aloud to the glory of God: GOD IS OUR REFUGE AND OUR STRENGTH.

Life

Good morning!

LIFE. We must not live only to live.  Richard Sibbes

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him (John 3:36).

And this is eternal life, that they know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John 17:3).

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (I Corinthians 10:31). 

A hymn to read or sing aloud to the glory of God: I Am Thine, O Lord, I Have Heard Thy Voice.

(Theological) Liberalism

Good morning!

Liberalism. Liberalism is a miscarriage of truth. ---- John Blanchard.

I appeal to you, brothers, to mark carefully those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet (Romans 16:17-20).

A hymn to read or sing aloud to the glory of God: Teach Me, O Lord, Thy Holy Way.

Generosity

GENEROSITY. A man there was, and they called him mad; the more he gave the more he had. ---- John Bunyan.

Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse(Proverbs 28:27).

...give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you(Luke 6:38).

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully (II Corinthians 9:6).

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A hymn to read or sing aloud to the glory of God: LORD, THOU LOV'ST THE CHEERFUL GIVER

Knowledge of God

Good morning!

Knowledge of God. Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life's problems fall into place of their own accord ---- J. I. Packer.

I will give them a heart to know that I am the LORD, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart  Jeremiah 24:8 (see also 9:23,24).

And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowlege of God (Colossians 1:9-10).

A hymn to read or sing aloud to the glory of God: I Know Whom I Have Believed.

Testing

Good morning!

Testing is a blessing, for it  reveals that our faith is genuine and more valuable than gold -- it frees us from impurity and fits us for heaven. Paul Settle

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith ---- more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire ---- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ (I Peter 1:6-7).

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A hymn to be read or sung aloud as an offering of thanks to our faithful and powerful God: PRAISE TO THE LORD THE ALMIGHTY.

Increase My Faith

Good morning!

"Increase my faith in the sweet promises of the Gospel; give me repentance from dead works; pardon my wanderings, and direct my thoughts unto Thyself, the God of my salvation; teach me how to live in fear, labor in Thy service, and ever to run in the way of Thy commandments; make me always watchful over my heart, that neither the terror of conscience, the loathing of holy duties, the love of sin, nor an unwillingness to depart this life, may cast me into a slumber, but daily frame me more and more into the likeness of Thy Son Jesus Christ, that living in Thy fear, and dying in Thy favor, I may in Thy appointed time attain the resurrection of the just unto eternal life. Bless my family, friends, and kindred."  ---- George Washington, in an undated prayer from his prayer journal.                                                                                         ---- selected from Focus On the Family

It occurred to me that President Washington's prayer breathes the spirit of David's prayer in Psalm 69 (especially verses 6, 13, 16): Let not those who hope in Thee be ashamed because of me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those who seek Thee be brought to dishonor because of me, O God of Israel. But as for me, my prayer is unto Thee, O LORD, at an acceptable time, O God, in the abundance of Thy steadfast love hear me, in the truth of Thy salvation, for thy lovingkindness is good; turn unto me according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies.

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A hymn to read or sing aloud in reverent prayer to God: LORD, I LIFT MY SOUL TO THEE.

Winsomeness

Good morning!

Take care if the world does hate you that it hates you without cause. ---- C. H. Spurgeon

Beloved....if you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. But let none of you suffer as a murderer or a thief or an evildoer or as a meddler. Yet, if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name (I Peter 4:12a, 14-16).

A hymn to read or sing loud to the glory of God:  FAITH OF OUR FATHERS.

The Christian and Law

Good morning!

THE CHRISTIAN AND THE LAW  God is only rightly served when His law is obeyed. It is not left to every man to frame a system of religion according to his own judgment, but the standard of godliness is to be taken from the Word of God. ---- John Calvin

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers, but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on His law he meditates day and night (Psalm 1:1-2).

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A hymn to be read or sung aloud to the glory of God: TEACH ME, O LORD, YOUR WAY OF TRUTH.

Obedience

Good morning!

OBEDIENCE    Only in obedience can we discover the great joy of the will of God. ---- Sinclair Ferguson

You made known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11).

A hymn to read or sing aloud to the glory of God: TRUST AND OBEY.

Poverty

Good morning!

At issue everywhere that poverty appears is God's test of man's soul. For the poor it is a question of patient endurance of God's yoke. For the rich it is a question of love working through material goods.

The mystery of poverty is that God uses the needy to stand in His stead among all the nations of the world. Because their yoke is burdensome, God lightens their plight with excess of faith, hope, and love. And through them God tests:

1. Those whose service to Him is in talk only, mere lip-service.

2. Those who cannot resist the temptation to take advantage of the weak.

3. Those who, in their eagerness to display their love, seek Him out in the needy where He may be found, and give of their goods, time, talents, and skills to them. ---- Berghoef and DeKoster

Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which He has promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called. If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin....  (See also. Leviticus 19:15-16; I Samuel 2:7-8; Psalm 35:10; Luke 10:29-37). 

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A hymn to read or sing aloud to the glory of God: WHEN THE WEARY, SEEKING REST.

Joy

Good morning!

If you have no joy in your religion, there's a leak in your Christianity somewhere ---- Billy Sunday.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in  the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17).

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice (Philippians 4:4).

A hymn to read or sing aloud to the glory of God: Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts.