Self-Denial

Sacrifice alone, bare and unrelieved, is ghastly, unnatural, and dead; but self-sacrifice, illuminated by love, is warmth and life; it is the death of Christ, the life of God, and the blessedness and only proper life of man. ---- F. W. Robertson

And He said to all, If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or or forfeits himself ?(Luke 9:23-26) 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of Christ: JESUS, I MY CROSS HAVE TAKEN.

From the performance documentary Roots and Wings: The Story of Indelible Grace and the RUF Hymns

The Christian and the Law

If we make God's will our law, then God's promise shall be our support and comfort, and we shall find every burden light, and every duty a joy. ---- Tryon Edwards. 

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). 

Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law (Galatians 3:21-22). 

But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (Jeremiah 31:33-34). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of God: ALL FOR JESUS.  

Witness

Our gifts and attainments are not only to be light and warmth in our own dwellings, but are to shine through the window, into the dark night, to guide and cheer bewildered travelers on the road. ---- Henry W. Beecher

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, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of Christ, the Light of the World: JESUS BIDS US SHINE

The Sabbath

When there is no Christian Sabbath, there is no Christian morality; ;and without this, free institutions cannot long be sustained. ----John McLean.

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work....for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy (Exodus 20:8). 

If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, and the holy day of the LORD honorable, if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly, then you shall take delight in the LORD and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob our father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken it (Isaiah 58:13-14). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of God: O DAY OF REST AND GLADNESS.

Christlikeness

A true saint is a divine landscape or picture, where all the beauties of Christ are lively portrayed and drawn forth. He has the same judgment, the same will with Christ. Thomas Watson. 

For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of His glory He may grant you to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith ---- that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:14-19). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of Christ: MORE ABOUT JESUS WOULD I KNOW

Conceit

Conceited men are a harmless kind of creatures, who by their overweening self-respect, relieve others from the duty of respecting them at all. Henry Beecher.

Be not wise in your own eyes... (Proverbs 3:7).

Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him(Proverbs 12).

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of God: ALL TO JESUS I SURRENDER.

Slander

"No one," says Jerome, "loves to tell a tale of scandal except to him who loves to hear it." Learn, then, to rebuke and check the detracting tongue by showing that you do not listen to it with pleasure. Never make your ear the grave of another's good name. Richard Sheridan. 

You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people... (Leviticus 19:16a).

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of the God of truth: GRACIOUS SPIRIT DWELL WITH ME. 

Trusting God

My faith has no other place to rest but on the truth in the child's prayer, "God is great, God is good..." ---- pgs

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:1-4). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle, to the glory of Christ, our resting place: MY FAITH HAS FOUND A RESTING PLACE.

No Little Things

Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things --- a chance word, a tap on the shoulder, or a penny dropped on a newstand --- I am tempted to think...there are no little things. Bruce Barton. 

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all. In Your hand are power and might, and in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we Thank You, our God, and praise Your glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly. For all things come from You, and of Your own have we given You.  (I Chronicles 29:12-14).

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God (I Corinthians 10:13).

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Colossians 3:17). 

...in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen (I Peter 4:1).   

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of the God of all things, big or little: FATHER, I KNOW THAT ALL MY LIFE. 

True Worship

It is an axiom of the Christian faith that the mode of worship must correspond to the essence of God, which is spiritual; and the feeling of the worshiper must correspond to the character of God, which is paternal. ---- J. P. Thompson

But the hour is coming and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of our heavenly Father: PRAISE MY SOUL, THE KING OF HEAVEN.

The choir of Westminster Abbey sing the stirring hymn "Praise, my soul, the King of heaven" with words by Henry Francis Lyte (1793-1847). The trebles sing the penultimate verse on their own before they sing a soaring descant during the final verse. The pictures are all of Westminster Abbey with the final picture being the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier which is situated inside the Abbey's western entrance.

He Is Risen

The world cannot bury Christ. The earth is not deep enough for His tomb, the clouds are not wide enough for His winding sheet. Edward Thomson.

And he [an angel] said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee..." (Mark 16:6-7).  

And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of the risen Christ: UP FROM THE GRAVE HE AROSE.

Light of The Word

The light of nature, the light of science, and the light of reason, are but as darkness, compared with the divine light which shines only from the Word of God. --- J. K. Lord

The unfolding of Your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple (Psalm 119:130).

For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light do we see light (Psalm 36:9). (Read also Psalm 89:15; 27:1; John 8:12; Matthew 5:14). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of Christ, the Light of the World: THE SPIRIT BREATHES UPON THE WORD. 

The Cross of Christ

The cross is the only ladder high enough to touch Heaven's threshold. G. D. Boardman

But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world (Galatians 6:14).

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of the Lamb of God: BENEATH THE CROSS OF JESUS

The Hastings College Choir's musical signature since 1882. Traditional interpretation by Dr. Hayes M. Fuhr; arrangement updated by the choir's current conductor, Dr. Fritz Mountford. Prof. Ruth Moore, piano. Vocal soloists, Tom Lesiak & Adreanne Brungardt.

Unmerited Favor

Chosen not for good in me,

Wakened up from wrath to flee,

Hidden in the Savior's side, 

By the Spirit sanctified,

Teach me, Lord, on earth to show,

By my love, how much I owe.

                    --- Robert Murray M'Cheyne

And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in Him. (Colossians 2:13-15).

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of Christ our Lord: MAN OF SORROWS, WHAT A NAME.

All Creation Hails the Risen Lord

Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in spring-time. Martin Luther

For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands (Isaiah 55:12). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of our risen Lord: I SING THE ALMIGHTY POWER OF GOD. 

Jesus

Open my heart, and you will see engraved therein, "Jesus."  ---- Selected.

As it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:20-21).

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of the Son of God: JESUS, THOU JOY OF LOVING HEARTS. 

The Love of the Father

God is. He knows, He cares, He comes, He calls, and gathers His own to Himself through Christ, the only Mediator between God and man. ---- pgs

And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant...  God saw the people of Israel ---- and God knew. 

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God, and so we are. There is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things? (Genesis 2:24-25; I John 3:1a; I Timothy 2:5; I John 5:11; Romans 8:31-32). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: PRAISE TO THE LORD, THE ALMIGHTY 

Rest

True rest is not that of torpor, but that of harmony; it is not refusing the struggle, but conquering in it; not resting from duty, but  finding rest in it. F. W. Robertson

Come to me, all who labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-20). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of Him who is our rest: Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting 

Regeneration

Mere outward reformation differs as much from regeneration as white-washing an old rotten house differs from pulling it down and building a new one in its place. Augustus Toplady

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, Whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs, according to the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:4-7). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of God: Come, O Come, Thou Quickening Spirit.

True and False Religion

There are but two religions --- Christianity and paganism, the worship of God and idolatry. A third between them is not possible. Where idolatry ends, there Christianity begins; and where idolatry begins, there Christianity ends. Friedrich Jacobi.

....your faith in God has gone forth everywhere...how you turned from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come (I Thessalonians 1:8-10). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of the God who is: I Greet Thee, Who My Sure Redeemer Art. 

Our Sovereign God

 

God is in the facts of history as truly as He is in the march of the seasons, the revolutions of the planets, or the architecture of the worlds. ---- John Lanahan

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in earth is Yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all. In Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank You, our God, and praise Your glorious name (I Chronicles 29:11-13). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of God: O FATHER, YOU ARE SOVEREIGN.

The Sovereignty of God

The Christ who rules us rules all things for us.  J. I. Packer

For those God foreknew [read: "fore-loved"], He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many others. And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified. What then shall we say in response to this? If God if for us, who can be against us?  (Romans 8:29-30). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of God: BEFORE JEHOVAH'S AWESOME THRONE.