Praise to the God of All Comfort

Good afternoon!

God be praised, who, to believing souls, gives light in darkness, comfort in despair. ---- William Shakespeare. 

Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me (Psalm 50:15).

For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you! (Psalm 84:11). 

For He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things (Psalm 107:9). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: ALL PRAISE TO GOD, WHO REIGNS ABOVE. 

Sing praise to God Who reigns above, the God of all creation,
The God of power, the God of love, the God of our salvation.
With healing balm my soul is filled and every faithless murmur stilled:
To God all praise and glory.

Worry

Good morning!

Take care if the world hates you it hates you without cause. ---- Charles Spurgeon

For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.  "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth" (I Peter 2:19-22.

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: Faith of Our Fathers. 

Faith of our fathers, living still
In spite of dungeon, fire and sword,
O how our hearts beat high with joy
Whene’er we hear that glorious word!

Faith of our fathers! holy faith!
We will be true to thee till death!

Christ Alone Saves

Good morning!

In Christ alone God's rich provision of salvation for sinners is treasured up. By Christ alone God's abundant mercies come down from heaven to earth. Christ's blood alone can cleanse us. Christ's righteousness alone can clothe us. Christ's merit alone can give us a title to heaven. Jews and Gentiles,--- learned and unlearned, --- kings and poor men, --- all alike must either be saved by Jesus, or lost forever (J. C. Ryle). 

There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God:ALL HAIL THE POWER OF JESUS' NAME

All hail the power of Jesus' name! Let angels prostrate fall; bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all. Bring forth the royal diadem, and crown him Lord of all.

Ye chosen seed of Israel's race, ye ransomed from the fall, hail him who saves you by his grace, and crown him Lord of all. Hail him who saves you by his grace, and crown him Lord of all.

Sinners, whose love can ne'er forget the wormwood and the gall, go spread your trophies at his feet, and crown him Lord of all. Go spread your trophies at his feet, and crown him Lord of all.

Let every kindred, every tribe on this terrestrial ball, to him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all. To him all majesty ascribe, and crown him Lord of all.

Crown him, ye martyrs of your God, who from his altar call; extol the Stem of Jesse's Rod, and crown him Lord of all. Extol the Stem of Jesse's Rod, and crown him Lord of all.

O that with yonder sacred throng we at his feet may fall! We'll join the everlasting song, and crown him Lord of all. We'll join the everlasting song, and crown him Lord of all.

Christ Our All and In All

Good morning!

Look not for any blessing outside of Christ; and in and by and from Him look for all blessings. Let Him be your life; and wish not to live longer than you are kept alive by Him. Find Him your wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption; your riches, your strength, your glory. ---- Bishop Hall.

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

He is the source of our life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, "Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord" (I Corinthians 1:30).

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, now and forever. Amen (Jude 24-25). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: BE THOU MY VISION. 

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Pride in Gifts

Good morning!

Pride of gifts robs us of God's blessing in the use of them. ---- William Gurnall.

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them...let love be genuine (Romans 12:3-6a, 9). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: RENEW THY CHURCH, HER MINISTRIES RESTORE. 

Renew your church, our ministries restore:
both to serve and adore.
Make us again as salt throughout the land,
and as light from a stand.
'Mid somber shadows of the night,
where greed and hatreds spread their blight,
O send us forth with power endued,
help us, Lord, be renewed.

Be ready for the Judgment

Good morning!

 Now is the time for gathering the bread of life. The day of the Lord is fast drawing near...  The seventh trumpet will soon sound. The kingdoms of this world will soon become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ. Woe to the house which is found without the scarlet line, and without the mark of blood upon the door!  ---- J. C. Ryle.

Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father's household (Joshua 2:18). 

And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt (Exodus 12:13). 

Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect(Matthew 24:44). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: GREAT GOD, WHAT DO I SEE AND HEAR!

Great God, what do I see and hear?
The end of things created!
The Judge of mankind doth appear,
On clouds of glory seated.
The trumpet sounds, the graves restore,
The dead which they contained before!
Prepare, my soul, to meet Him.

Hopelessness

Good morning!

Hopelessness

Those poor who are without a covering for their bodies are to be pitied; but with what tears should we  lament those --- how rich soever they are in this world --- who are without a covering for souls, and so stand naked in the storm, and under the dreadful droppings of the wrath of God. ---- Joseph Caryl. 1650. 

Jesus...said to those who followed Him, "Truly, I tell you...many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom* will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:9--13). 

A hymn to read, sing, hum or whistle to the glory of God: HOW SWEET THE NAME OF JESUS SOUNDS.

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* "Sons of the kingdom..." are natural descendants of Abraham who reject Jesus Christ as Messiah --Lord and Savior.   

How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds
In a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.