WAY

If the Father has the kingdom ready for us, He will take care of us on the way. -- Andrew Bonar

Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also (John 14:1-3).

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:8).

And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).

A hymn to read, sing, play, hum, or whistle to the glory of God: He Leadeth Me: O Blessed Thought! -- Joseph H. Gilmore, 1862.

NECESSITY

Let this be a firm principle: No other word is to be held as the Word of God, and given place as such in the Church, than what is contained first in the Law and the Prophets, then in the writings of the apostles; and the only authorized way of teaching in the Church is by the prescription and standards of His Word. ---- John Calvin

Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit... (I Corinthians 1:21; 2:13).

Man shall not live alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4).

...from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work (II Timothy 3:15-16).

I charge you in the presence of God and in Christ Jesus...preach the word (II Timothy 4:1).

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle, to the glory of God: Thy Word Have I Hid in My Heart (From Psalm 119). -- (E. O. Sellers, 1908). 

LOVE

Love does not say, 'Give me', but 'Let me give you'. ---- Jill Briscoe

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. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (I John 4:7-11).

Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me (Matthew 25:40).

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle, to the glory of God: O God of Mercy, God of Might (Godfrey Thring, 1877).

READY

When you are pretty sure that an Adventure is going to happen, brush the honey off your nose and spruce yourself up as best you can, so as to look Ready for Anything. (Pooh)

Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come (Matthew 24:42).

Stand firm with the belt of truth...the breastplate of righteousness...your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace...the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God... (Ephesians6:10-23, 14).

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle, to the glory of God: Lo! He Comes with Clouds Descending(Charles Wesley, 1758)

KNOWS

I don't know what the future holds, but I know Who holds the future. ---- Selected

 

....your Father knows what you have need of before you ask Him (Matthew 6:8).

SEEK

O what a blessed change would it make in our hearts and lives, did we but firmly believe this truth, that the best way to be comfortably provided for in this world, is to be most intent upon another world! We begin at the right end of our work, when we begin with God -- Matthew Henry.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33).  

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle, to the glory of God: Consider the Lilies, (Grace Hawthorne, 1977).

BORN

Rejoice that the immortal God is born that mortal men may live in eternity. ---- Jan Hus

....and Jacob, the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. (Matthew 1:16).

...an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:20-21).

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

What Child Is This (traditional English carol).

PERESCUTED

And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven(Matthew 5:10).

Which, being interpreted is: Blessed are those who are fully aware, and willing to pay, the high cost of Christian discipleship. -- pgs

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle, to the glory of God: The Son of God Goes Forth to War (Reginald Heber, 1827).

SEE

Seeing the crowds, He went up on the mountain, and when He sat down, His disciples came to Him. And He opened is mouth and taught them, saying: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8).

Which, being interpreted, means believers who now know, worship and serve God alone -- sincerely loving Him, desiring Him,  being cleansed by Him and fully satisfied in Him -- "see" Him by faith now, and shall "see" Him person-to-Person in heaven, forever.

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle, to the glory of God: Be Thou My Vision (Ancient Irish poem, 8th. Century).

MERCY

And He opened His mouth and taught them, saying:

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy (Matthew 5:7).

Which, being interpreted, means blessed is the believer who loves the miserable, forgives the sinner, and feels and acts kindly toward all men, for he will receive loving kindness in return. -- pgs 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle, to the glory of God:
O God of Mercy, God of Might (Godfrey Thring, 1877).

HUNGER

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down; his disciples came to him, and began to teach them, saying:

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled (Matthew 5:6).

Meaning: those who earnestly and humbly seek to know and adore God in Christ more and more every day, may fully expect to receive what they desire. --- pgs

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle, to the glory of God:   Christ, of All My Hopes the Ground(Ralph Wardlaw, 1817).

POVERTY

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 5:3).

Which means: Blessed are they who, keenly aware of the sinful poverty of their souls, earnestly seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness. -- pgs

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

Love Divine, All Loves Excelling. Charles Wesley, 1747.   

MEEK

Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:

"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5).

Blessed are those who are consciously dependent upon and submissive to God's providence, for they shall reign with Christ in the new heavens and new earth (Romans 4:13). --- pgs

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle, to the glory of God: Teach Me, O Lord, Thy Holy Way. (William T. Matson, 1866).  

PRESENCE

The land of promise is empty without God. His Presence bestows favor and assurance on His people and marks them out as His own, for His glory. --- Selected

 

The LORD replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest" (Exodus 33:14).

 

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

 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle, to the glory of God: Peace, Perfect Peace, (Edward H. Bickersteth, 1875).

LOVE

This is love: knowing and loving the triune God above all others and sharing that love and life in God with those you love the most.  ---- pgs

 

 

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

 

For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen. (Romans11:36).

 

My heart and my strength may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever(Psalm 73:25).

 

 Jesus replied: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37-39).

 

That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also unto you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write unto you that our joy may be full (I John 1:3-4).

 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of God: Blest Be the Tie That Binds (John Fawcett, 1782).

FORGIVE

(Forgive? Forgiven!)  We need not climb up into heaven to see whether our sins are forgiven; let us look into our hearts, and see if we can forgive others. If we can, we need not doubt but God has forgiven us. --- Thomas Watson.

If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14-15).

Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (Matthew  6:12).

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of God: Forgive Our Sins As We Forgive. Rosamond E. Herklots, 1969) 

INCARNATION

 The early Christians did not say in dismay, 'Look what the world has come to,' but in delight, 'Look what has come to the world!' --- Carl F. H. Henry

 

Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). (Matthew 1:20-23).

 

A hymn to read, sing, hum, or whistle to the glory of God: Good Christian Men, Rejoice (Medieval Latin carol).

LITTLE

Little things. Not for this mighty world, O Lord, tonight, nations and kingdoms in their fearful might --- let me be glad the kettle gently sings, let me be glad for little things. ---- Edna Jaques.

 

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew6:26).

 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: Consider the Lilies (Grace Hawthorne, 1977).   

FUTURE

A TV commercial for life insurance  encourages viewers to "Prepare Them for All That Lies Ahead," with the  pronoun, them ,referring to the viewers' family. It immediately occurred to me that the phrase could, however,  express a significantly different life-view, such as, "Parents, pastors and professors should remember that "all that lies ahead" consists ultimately of only two things, heaven, or hell." ---- pgs

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. Then the King will say to those on His right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. Then He will say to those on His left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life (Matthew 25:31-34, 41, 46.)

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

O Quickly Come, Dread Judge of All (Lawrence Tuttiet, 1854).

CERTAIN

Nothing whatever surprises God; all things that happen are absolutely certain from all eternity because they are all embraced in God's eternal plan. ---- J. Gresham Machen

 

The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God... (Acts 17:25-28).

 

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. (Matthew 10:29).

 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle, to the glory of God: O Father, You Are Sovereign. Margaret Clarkson, 1982.