All...
That is a true Surrender
Whatever it takes
Not my will, but Thine
But a little at a time
I took things back
Grasping control
Where I seemed to lack
But in my hands
The vessel is marred
Spinning around
Getting nowhere
Please, Lord,
Once again, I yield
Take my clay and use it.
...All
Lord,
I want to walk each day
With my hand tucked in Thine
To follow only where You lead
To live in Your Design
Lord,
I want to look at Thee
To clearly see Thy face
Thy wounds of love and thorns
The evidence of Grace
Lord,
Let me hear Thy whispers--
To listen is a choice!
Then help me to obey Thee
To cause You to rejoice
Lord,
I need Thy Presence
Every hour, minute, day
What a blessing that You keep me
And hear me when I pray.
Amen
Dear Father,
I come to you in deep distress
To cast on You my care
I trust that You will hear my
plea
And “Yes” You’ll answer me
Dear Child,
I know just what you need
Trust Me to know what’s best
Trials come to help you grow--
Accept the answer: “No”
But if not “no” or yet a “yes”
Still come with cares to Me
Sometimes I answer right away—
Sometimes with “Wait and see”
There are other answers that I
give
That you may not understand
But through the darkest Valleys
Be sure that I hold your hand
Sometimes “Heaven” is an answer
For those you greatly love
And in those grieving moments
I send Grace down from above
Dear Child, I know your problems
I’ve felt each pain you bear
Let Me be the greatest
answer
To your every heartfelt prayer
Proverbs 3:5-6, Hebrews 4:15-16, I
Peter 5:7, Psalms 18:6, John14:18
There is one prayer request that God always says “Yes” to—Romans 10:13
Cursed...
Braiding the thorns that grew from my choice
Regrets woven with the ever-present sin
A crown of my making, leaving stripes deep red
A constant reminder, self-placed, upon my head
Blessed...
Let Me take your thorny curse, My diadem you'll wear
I offer you my righteous robe, Your burden I will bear
I call you "My Beloved", come dwell beneath My wing
Straighten up your golden crown, O Daughter of the King!
Psalm 45:13, Isaiah 53:4-5, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Psalms 91:4
Psalms36:7, Genesis 3:1-24, John 19:5, Romans 9:25
You whisper on the gentle breeze
And beckon with a moon beam
Branches from the birch tree
Seem to hasten me to come
The flowers by the wayside
Remind me to be still
To always rest inside Thy care
To walk within Thy Will
Once more You call in sunset’s blaze
I marvel at the sight
But the greatest wonder as You call
Is that You know my name at all
From eternity to eternity
Always crowned with Deity
Wonderful, Creator
Master, Sustainer
Then the Word became flesh--
God with us, God for us
Born in Bethlehem’s stable
A manger for his cradle
The King of Glory, The Son of Man
Now hung between the earth and sky
A Rugged Cross spans the gulf between
Appeasing Justice, making sinner
clean
Jesus—wonderful and holy
Lived a life so meek and lowly
God in flesh—the sinner’s friend
Will you not on Him depend?
**********
Job
9:33 Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his
hand upon us both.
Eph 2:4-9
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love
wherewith he loved us,
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us
together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
And hath raised us up together, and made us
sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
That in the ages to come he might shew the
exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ
Jesus.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that
not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Not of
works, lest any man should boast.
Eph 2:14-17 For he is our
peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of
partition between us;
Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even
the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself
of twain one new man, so making peace;
And that he might reconcile both unto God in one
body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Give thanks unto the LORD
He has wrought for His Name’s sake
Cleansing our sin
Making us whole
Sing praise to our God
For His strength in our weakness
Lifting us up
Giving us grace
Worship at His footstool
For He is holiness and compassion
The God of Truth
Who proved His Love
Hallelujah to the King of Kings
Our Righteous God still reigns
His Word is everlasting
Pleading to sinners…Come!
Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD!
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone
Go All the Way with Me
Go all the way with me, Lord, all
the way
Stamp in me the cross of Thy Son
Transform my mind, my motive,
myself
Do not stop until Thy work is done
Go all the way with me, Lord, all
the way
Through trials and suffering I
don’t understand
Use these times to mold my heart
To respect Thee, adore Thee and
hold to Thy hand
Go all the way with me, Lord, all
the way
Dear Shepherd, help me hear Thy
voice
So in death’s shadow or stormy
vale
Thy presence will cause my heart
to rejoice
Go all the way with me, Lord, all
the way
Until in Heaven someday I stand
When I shall see Thy blessed face
I will praise Thee again for what
You planned
******
From a sermon by Curtis Hudson
Once on a mountain in the Wilderness
The Law was given—
Rules in which to choose and live or
to refuse and die
But no man was found
Once on a hill in Jerusalem
A Saviour was given
God who made the Law became Man to
fulfill the Law
He is the Promise found
Once by humble faith
Salvation was claimed
Not a wage earned but a gift
received by faith
It is seeing my sin by the Law—and
His sacrifice in my place
And They call it Grace
Eph 2:1-10
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and
sins;
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in
the children of disobedience:
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts
of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by
nature the children of wrath, even as others.
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved
us,
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ,
(by grace ye are saved;)
And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together
in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his
grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it
is the gift of God:
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should
walk in them.
Sitting at Thy feet to listen
Healing words I clearly hear
Mercy, grace, abundant pardon
Draw me ever near
Falling at Thy feet in anguish
Grief compels my bitter cry
Once again to draw me close
When I don’t know the why
Kneeling by Thy feet to wash them
Faith can see the brutal wound
By Thy nail prints, bleeding side
My life in Thine becomes perfumed
**********
Mary learned the importance of being at Jesus’ feet. Her focus was
that Christ received all the attention. By her listening, prayer, and service,
she pointed always to her Saviour. Let us learn to humbly live at His feet.
Psalms 86:1,5-6, 10-11, 15
Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me:
for I am poor and needy.
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in
mercy unto all them that call upon thee.
Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and
attend to the voice of my supplications.
For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art
God alone.
Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk
in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.
But thou, O Lord, art a God
full of compassion, and gracious, longsuffering, and plenteous in mercy and
truth.
So many in colonial days
Searched their hearts and knelt to pray
Travailing in tears for this fledgling land
Asking for guidance from God’s own hand
And from their supplications grew
This country great and wide and strong
Built upon the Word of God
Laws in which her sons must trod
But now the warriors sleep in death
Her sons forsake the olden way
Is anyone taking time to bow--
Who will pray for America now?
Who will pray that her heart is good?
That her morals will stand where they once stood?
Who will see the deeper need—
Who will share the Gospel seed?
If America’s greatness depended on you,
Would she find help in the things you do?
Or will God say when His search is done
“I sought for a man…
But
I found none”?
Will you pray for America now?
God doth not sleep, O weary Pilgrim
Your plight is no surprise
Though all the mountains fall
His child is seen by loving eyes
God doth not lie, O doubting
Christian
Though black night lingers on and
on
Robbing mind of rest and sleep
Let His Promise be your song
God doth not fail, O lonely
Children
Though crowd may mock and proudly scorn
Victors all who follow Him
Who bore the cross and felt the
thorn
God doth not spurn, O broken sinner
The invitation issued speaks to all
Do not make His great heart wait
His ear is opened for your call
**********
Psalms 55:22
Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall
sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
Psalms 34:17-19
The righteous cry, and the LORD
heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is nigh unto them
that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
So often when I’m weary--
Life’s
struggles get me down
Circumstances
overwhelm
I feel like
I will drown
I need the
calm assurance
Of my
Father’s gentle care
I will seek
His face in Scripture
And kneel
to Him in prayer
It is there
that He reminds me
That He
will always hold my hand
I will trust
in Him completely
To walk the
path He’s planned
I feel His
peace surround me
I can even find
a song
For I’m
walking with my Father
And His
hand is very strong
**********
Psalms 139:10
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold
me.
Isa 41:10
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am
thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee
with the right hand of my righteousness.
Isa
26:3-4
Thou
wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on
thee: because he trusteth in thee.
Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is
everlasting strength:
Psalms 23:3-5
He
restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's
sake.
Yea,
though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
He
sat upon the tree limb
Singing
a pretty song
His
joy got my attention
I
wondered if he’d been there long
How
could he be so happy--
The
rain was pouring down!
His
feathers looked quite ragged
But
I didn’t see a frown!
I
listened even closer
While
he whistled the refrain:
“God
takes care of all His creatures--
Even
birdies in the rain!”
So
when your life is stormy
With
God’s Word your life surround
For
little birds sing on rainy days
And
cats cannot be found
**********
Matthew 10:27-31
What
I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the
ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
And
fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but
rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
Are
not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the
ground without your Father.
But
the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Fear ye not therefore, ye
are of more value than many sparrows.
I started to build a sandwich
With all the fixings I had
But without the bread on either side
My sandwich looked quite sad
But when I put one slice of bread
Beneath my stack of food
Then another one on top
It didn’t look so skewed
So it is with trusting prayer
I start with seeking God
Then ask Him for my present need
And end with praise and laud
This kind of prayer excites my heart
I hardly see my needs
For God surrounds them with His love--
His grace my fear exceeds
Based on Matthew 6:9-13
If I hold onto God and let Him control the issues of life,
there really is nothing to fear.
Deut.
15:16-17, Phil. 2:5-8, 25-30, I Cor. 6:20, II Cor. 5:14-20
I had been bought
with a price—
The debt was
paid in full
I was
brought into the Master’s house
Freed from
the slavery of sin
Safe within
the sheltering walls
I learned to
see His heart
His love
compelled to greater love
To give Him
all not part
I saw the stripes
He bore for me
The walk of
suffering shame
And wounds will
come to everyone
Who would
choose to bear His Name
Would I go
out or stay with Him—
Whose
kingship would I own?
Lord, give
me grace to die to self
And live to
you alone!
My ear
pressed to the doorpost
Where His
blood had been applied
Then yielded
to the piercing awl
The trust of
faith that’s tried
The liberty
He bought for me
Is surrendered
to His will
No
reputation—a servant
May His
Spirit my living fill
Ashamed of Me?
The Wounded one
The Crucified
The Friend who bore sin’s penalty
Ashamed of Me?
The Spotless Lamb
The Prince of Peace
Grace that makes the blind to see
Ashamed of Me?
The King of kings
The Word made flesh
The Saviour who has set you free
Ashamed of Thee?
How could I fail to love Thy Name?
Or share the Gospel to those in pain?
Of self, alone, I blush in shame
If I do not Thy Word proclaim
Mark 8:38
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous
and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he
cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
It
is not the lights in the windows
Or
the decorations upon the tree
Not
the shopping for presents
Or
the excitement of what could be
Christmas
is so much deeper—
A
feast of true peace and joy
A
song that is sung to God’s Glory
Bearing
fruit that cannot be destroyed
If
this time of year seems too busy
You
get tired of the scurry and fuss
Slow
down—the reason for Christmas--
Jesus came—He is God with us!
**********
John 1:14
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and
we beheld his glory,
the glory
as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Isaiah
55
Luke
2
The
King laid aside His garments
To
be wrapped in swaddling clothes
A
babe of flesh in a manger
Yet
God who will face death’s throes
He
grew in wisdom and stature--
So
full of truth and grace
But
soon He would know the horror
Of
men who spit in His face
He
preached throughout the nation
Healing
the sick and lame
He
touched the lowly sinners
Showing
He would bear their shame
They
hailed Him as the King--
Then
crowned Him with Wreath of Thorn
They
mocked and cursed His Name
As with whips His flesh was torn
A
hammer beat the rhythm
Of
nails piercing hands and feet
Words
are not enough to tell
God’s
wrath on sin complete
But
He who suffered cruel death
Came
up from out the grave
Exalted—sitting
on the Throne
With
power the lost to save
O
sinner, do you know the Lord?
Have
you felt the Master’s touch?
Trust
Him for He loves you so—
For
you He has given much
**********
Isaiah
53
Matthew
27-28
Philippians
2:1-11
Luke
7:41-50
How
much have we been forgiven? All.
How
much did Jesus give? All.
How
much faith should we give Jesus? All.
If
we have been forgiven all, how much should we love in return? With all.
I
kept staring at the slide:
The
swirling disappointment
Dark
spots of despair and delay
Discouraged,
defeated, dismayed
The
world reduced to a single point
At the end of my microscope
But
then I looked up:
The
sky was full of Thy Glory!
Bright
banners of peace and joy!
My
Rock, My Fortress, My Protection
Nothing
is impossible with God!
Reading
the open pages of my Bible
Where
I look is what I see
May
my gaze be fastened only, always on Thee
**********
Based
on Psalms 71
Hebrews
12:1-3
Wherefore seeing we also
are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every
weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us,
and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who
for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and
is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.
For consider him that endured such
contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your
minds.
