Trust in God

Good morning!

God never promises us an easy time, only a safe arrival (Anon). 

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him (James 1:12). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of God: GUIDE ME, O THOU GREAT JEHOVAH (Trinity Hymnal, 598).

Love

Love Is the very essence and life of the Christian religion. Matthew Henry.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (I John 4:7-10). 

A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of God: LOVE DIVINE, ALL LOVES EXCELLING. 

The choir of Wells Cathedral sing Charles Wesley's wonderful hymn Love divine, all loves excelling to the beautiful tune Blaenwern under the direction of Malcolm Archer. The descant at the end is superb. Again I only post this because it is one of my favourite hymns. All the pictures used are of Wells Cathedral.

Yielding to God's Will

Good morning!

I dare not choose my lot; I would not if I might; Choose Thou for me, my God, So shall I walk aright. Horatius Bonar.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths (Proverbs 3:5-6).

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of God: SAVIOR, LIKE A SHEPHERD LEAD US, Trinity Hymnal, 599. 

2008 Bethany University Spring Concert performed at Holy Cross Church in Santa Cruz, CA

The Church

Good morning!

The excellence of the church does not consist in multitude but in purity. John Calvin.

...but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit (Ephesians 2:21-22). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of God: GLORIOUS THINGS OF THEE ARE SPOKEN (Trinity Hymnal 345). 

Sunday, August 24, 1997: Southern Cities String Quartet in Concert at the First United Methodist Church of Long Beach for the Summer Sunday Concert Spectacular Program.

Christine Ho, Violin
Oliver Truong, Violin
Melissa Bowers, Viola
Anthony Aviguetero, Cello

The theme of this piece is also recognized as the:
- Christian Hymn, "Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken" with lyrics composed by John Newton
- German National Anthem

Atheism

Good morning!

Atheism is the ultimate ignorance.  John Blanchard

The fool says in his heart, There is no God (Psalm 14:1).

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of God: HOW GOOD IT IS TO THANK THE LORD (Trinity Hymnal 635). 

Preparation for the Lord's Supper

Good morning!

 1.   Reverence and attention.

 2.   Discernment of the Lord's Body, a clear understanding of the

       meaning of the Lord's Supper

 3.   Meditation on Christ's death and suffering.

 4.   Self judgment.

 5.   Sorrow for sin.

 6.   Desire for Christ.

 7.   Feeding on Him in faith.

 8.   Trusting in Him.

 9.   Rejoicing in His love.

10. Giving thanks for His grace.

11. Renewing my covenant with God and commitment to Christ.

12. Special love to all Christians. 

--- From the bulletin of Second Presbyterian Church, Greenville, SC.

For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup (I Corinthians 11:26-27. 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: Soul, Adorn Yourself with Gladness. 

Soul, adorn yourself with gladness,
Leave the gloomy haunts of sadness;
Come into the daylight's splendor,
There with joy your praises render
Bless the One whose grace unbounded
This amazing banquet founded.
He, though heav'nly, high, and holy,
Deigns to dwell with you most lowly.

Gratitude

Good morning!

The man who forgets to be grateful has fallen asleep in life. ---- Robert Louis Stevenson.

Christians should have a gratitude attitude. ---- Stuart Briscoe

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, and perform your vows to the Most HIgh (Psalm 50:14).

O give thanks unto the LORD; call upon His name; make known His deeds among the people. Remember His marvelous works that He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth (Psalm 105:1,5-6).

Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ... (Ephesians 5:20).  

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you (I Thessalonians 5:18). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing(Trinity Hymnal 457). 

Evangelism

Good morning! 

Election demands evangelism. All of God's elect must be saved. Not one of them may perish. And the gospel is the means by which God bestows saving faith upon them. ---- R. B. Kuiper

And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be first born among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30; see also Romans 9:1-33).

For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.."  But how are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent?  So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Romans 10:14-15, 17). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of God: 'Tis Not That I Did Choose Thee." (Trinity Hymnal, 471). 

The Blood of Christ

Good morning!

Mercy swims to us through Christ's blood. ---- Thomas Watson

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which He obtained with His own blood (Acts 20:28).

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God (Romans 5:9). 

....and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness(Trinity Hymnal, 520). 

Justification

Good morning!

The fact that a man is forgiven, implies that he is guilty; and the fact that he is guilty implies that his justification cannot rest upon his own character or conduct. Charles Hodge

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; that being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life (Ephesians 1:7).

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me (No. 409 in the Trinity Hymnal).  

Knowledge

Good afternoon!

The Christian is strong or weak depending upon how closely he has cultivated the knowledge of God. ---- A. W. Tozer

For I desire steadfast love, and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. (Hosea 6:6; 4:6).

And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the LORD (Hosea 2:19-20). 

And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and teach his brother, saying , 'Know the LORD,' for they shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 31:34). 

See also Ephesians 1:15-23.

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: God is Known among His People; From Psalm 76. (No. 66 in the Trinity Hymnal

Use of the Law

Good morning!

...few people admit that they need a Savior. Nearly everyone thinks that even though he is not perfect, he is good enough to get into heaven. To these people the faithful evangelist must preach the law of God. He must tell them what sin is. To suppose that the law of God no longer applies to this age is to eviscerate evangelism. Sin is any want of conformity unto the law of God. ---- Gordon H. Clark

Whosoever commits sin transgresses also the law; for sin is the transgression of the law (I John 3:4).

For all who rely upon works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the Law, and do them. But the law is not of faith, rather "The one who does them shall live by them (Galatians 3:10, 12). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: THE LAW OF GOD IS GOOD AND WISE. 

Reverence

Good morning!

Sacred reserve therefore becomes us in our approach to God. Familiarity with the Eternal must always proceed from the side of God, and may never be presumed upon by the creature. When man makes bold to ignore the boundary of reverence, God repulses him. For then man exalts himself at the expense of the loftiness of his Lord. This interrupts the secret walk with God. At last he retains nothing but vain beating in the air after the Infinite, after a higher Being, a higher blessing, a name without content, a sound that volatizes; and he has lost his Father and his God. ---- Abraham Kuyper.

God called to him from within the bush, "Moses! Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am." Do not come any closer, God said. "Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground." Then He said, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob." At this Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God (Exodus 3:4b-6). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: HOLY, HOLY, HOLY. 

God's mercies

Good morning! 

When we bless God for mercies, we usually prolong them. When we bless God for miseries, we usually end them. Praise is the honey of life which a devout heart extracts from every bloom of providence and grace. ---- C. H. Spurgeon

You make known to me the path of life; in Your presence there is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore (meditate upon the whole of Psalm 16).

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: When All Your Mercies, O My  God. 

Truth

Good morning!

Truth is not afraid of the closest investigation. ---- pgs

Then He said to Thomas, "Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe" (John 20:27). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: How Firm a Foundation

1. 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 hath said—
   To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

The Holy Spirit

Good morning!

It is one great mark of the unbelieving and worldly that they neither receive, nor know, nor see anything of the Holy Ghost. The indwelling of the Spirit is the true dividing point between the wicked and the godly. ---- J. C. Ryle

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, for he dwells with you and will be in you (John 14:16-17). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart.

Christ, Our All in All

Good morning!

Christ is the ocean, in which every drop is infinite compassion. He is the mountain towering above the mountains, in which every grain is God's own goodness. --- Henry Law.

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

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever. Amen(Jude 24-25). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: Ye Servants of God, Your Master Proclaim. 

Prayer

Good morning!

Prayer. The real secret of prayer is secret prayer.---- John Blanchard.

But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you(Matthew 6:6).

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: Sweet Hour of Prayer.

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer! that calls me from a world of care, and bids me at my Father's throne make all my wants and wishes known. In seasons of distress and grief, my soul has often found relief, and oft escaped the tempter's snare by thy return, sweet hour of prayer! 

Joy

Good morning!

The key to a life of joy is to know that all we receive is a gift of grace in Christ. ---- pgs

The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD that He spoke by Elijah (I Kings 17:16).

For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future ---- all are yours, and you are Christ's and Christ is God's (I Corinthians 3:21-23). 

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

Jesus, Thou Joy of loving hearts,
Thou Fount of life, Thou Light of men,
From the best bliss that earth imparts,
We turn unfilled to Thee again.

Trials and Tribulations

Good morning!

Trials and Tribulations

Even the best Christian drinks from many bitter cups between grace and glory. ---- J. C. Ryle

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed (I Peter 4:12-13). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: THY WAY, NOT MINE, O LORD.

Thy way, not mine, O Lord,
However dark it be;
Lead me by Thine own hand,
Choose out the Path for me.

Christian Love

Good Morning!

Love, --- and the unity it attests to --- is the mark Christ gave Christians to wear before the world. Only with this mark may the world know that Christians are indeed Christians and that Jesus was sent by the Father. ---- Francis Schaeffer

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35). 

O righteous Father, even though the world does not know You, I know You, and these know that You have sent me. I made known to them Your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which You have loved me may be in them, and I in them (John 17:25-26). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: WE ARE GOD'S PEOPLE.

We are God's people, the chosen of the Lord,
Born of His Spirit, established by His Word;
Our cornerstone is Christ alone,
And strong in Him we stand:
O let us live transparently
And walk heart to heart and hand in hand.