Hymn 765 July 31, 2010

My spirit on Thy care,
Blest Savior, I recline;
Thou wilt not leave me to despair,
For Thou art Love divine.

In Thee I place my trust,
On Thee I calmly rest;
I know Thee good, I know Thee just,
And count Thy choice the best.

Whate’er events betide,
Thy will they all perform;
Safe in Thy breast my head I hide,
Nor fear the coming storm.

Let good or ill befall,
It must be good for me;
Secure of having Thee in all,
Of having all in Thee.

-Henry F. White

You dwell with the King for His work June 28, 2010

There they dwelt with the King for His work
What is your work? Whatever it be, the Lord, the King, has done that kind of work Himself, and you dwell with Him here for His work.
Is your work with the little children, carrying them about, loving them?
In His love and in His pity He redeemed them; and He bare them, and carried them all the days of old. Thou hast seen how that the Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his son, in all the ways that ye went.
He has done the work that you are doing. You dwell with Him here for His work.
Is your work teaching the children to walk, giving them their food?
God says, When Israel was a child, then I loved him, And I it was that taught Ephraim to walk,–He took them upon His arms. I drew them with bands of a man, with cords of love; I gently caused them to eat.
Is your work to ‘mother’, comfort and strengthen?
As one whom his mother comforted, so will I comfort you, saith the Lord. The word comfort is from two Latin words meaning ‘with’ and ‘strong’ –He is with us to make us strong. Comfort is not soft, weakening commiseration; it is true, strengthening love.
Is your work the disciplining of younger brothers and sisters, patiently and lovingly leading them on, holding them unfalteringly to God’s highest?
What son is there whom his Father does not discipline? He does it for our certain good in order that we may become sharers in His own holy character.
Is your work in the sewing-room?
Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skin, and clothed them.
He has done the work that you are doing. You dwell here with the King for His work.
Is your work cooking, lighting fires in the kitchen in the early morning, getting food ready for others?
When the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore; but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus. As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread. Jesus saith unto them, Come this way and have breakfast.
He has done the work that you are doing. You dwell here with the King for His work.
Is your work tending people, washing patients?
Jesus riseth from supper, and laid aside His garments; and took a towel, and girded Himself. After that He poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith He was girded.
He has done the work that you are doing. You dwell here with the King for His work.
Is your work nursing, bandaging sores?
He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
He has done the work that you are doing. You dwell here with the King for His work.
Is your work cleaning?
I will cleanse them from all their iniquity–that is harder work that cleaning floors or washing clothes.
Is your work writing–writing on a blackboard in school, writing in the office, answering letters?
He declared unto you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and He wrote them upon two tables of stone. The Lord shall count when He writeth up the people, that this man was born there. God says, I have written to him the great things of My law. Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground. They are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
He has done the work that you are doing. You dwell here with the King for His work.
Is your work account-keeping, teaching or learning arithmetic, or the names of things hard to remember?
He telleth the names of the stars; He calleth them all by their names. Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
He has done the work that you are doing. You dwell here with the King for His work.
Is your work in the farm with the animals?
He shall feed His flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom.
Is your work in the engine-room, or the carpentering shops? Is it making things or mending things?
O give thanks unto the Lord that made great lights. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God. (The verb is the same as that used in Matt. 4:21, mending their nets.) Is not this the Carpenter? and they were offended at Him.
He has done the work that you are doing. You dwell here with the King for His work.
Is your work praying for others, enduring temptation, suffering for His sake?
He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem. Jesus kneeled down and prayed. And, being in an agony, He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows. He, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the Cross.
He has done the work that you are doing. You dwell here with the King for His work.
Is your work to take the Gospel to those who need it, but do not know their need?
Your King did that work: I have spread out My hands all the day unto a rebellious people, which walketh in a way that was not good, after their own thoughts. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink. But our Lord did more than speak, He went about doing good. Dwell thus with the King for His work.
~Murray Webb-Peploe, in Amy Carmichael, Kohila: The Shaping of an Indian Nurse

Are you a part of the problem? Or a part of the solution? December 3, 2009

God forbid that I should ever become apathetic. I know myself. I know how easy it would be to not care- I am surrounded, it seems, in American ‘Christianity’ be people who would probably never consider themselves apathetic- but it appears that in many areas apathy has become a way of life which they are so used to that they don’t even notice. And I know my own heart, I know how easy it would be… I don’t want to be comfortable with the fact that they are “making void God’s law” all around me. I don’t want to get used to souls dying all around.

But then it gets tricky. Then I see the apathy in my own heart- I see how little I really care. I see how seldomly I weep. I see how often I don’t care and I see that it’s easy to write good sounding words when it doesn’t cost anything.  Where is my heart? I never, ever want to be apathetic. I never want to not care.

They are not only people being immoral with other people. Not just people killing babies. Not just those horrific things- they are people created in the image of God living in open rebellion to Him. And I was once there.

The joy which is now my reality is available to those who will but come to Him. The Blood which paid my ransom, is it not effective for them? My Christ Who is what it means to have “life abundant” is more than capable to save them.

Not only that, but they are openly dragging the Name of Christ through the mud. And are not His people, by our silence, dragging it lower? Will the world look on and be able to say that we care less about the cause of Christ than homosexuals and pro-abortionists care about theirs? “Are you a part of the problem of a part of the solution?” Is the Name of Christ really worthy to be glorified?

Pray that God Himself would be with us. Pray that He would revive His Church and make us into a praying people. Pray the He would come.

Nothing Ordinary October 24, 2009

“Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him.” Mark 1:16-18

Press on, Christian, take heart! “Nothing ordinary is equal to this new call.” (Amy Carmichael) – and yet it is so “normal”, so natural, it seems like it should be so “natural” that a child should follow his Father- his loving, perfect Father- about where ever and to whatever He calls- won’t we follow freely out of love? Don’t kick your feet and scream, you have no idea of the joy He has prepared for those who with their whole hearts follow.

And really, that is why nothing ordinary is equal to it- because of the joy. Nothing ordinary is equal to a Babe born of a virgin. Nothing ordinary is equal to His sinless life. Nothing ordinary is equal to His redemptive death. Nothing ordinary is equal to His saving work in sinners souls. And so we are compelled to ask “can anything be equal to following His call?” No, nothing.

Can we imagine beforehand the depth of the treasure-house of delight our Beloved has in store for those whom he is not ashamed to call “brother”? Now we do not follow to some abyss of emptiness- in the sense that where ever we are, whatever we do, we are never left empty when we call for Him to fill us. Now we follow to joy on joy, joy instead of joy. “Rude, crowding little children type of [joy]*” Not that there will never be sorrow, pain, hurt- but for believers, those things do not have to cancel out joy. Sometimes it may be a quiet, sad type of joy that it doesn’t look like [to others] you should even have. But if to live is Christ, then surely there is always joy. Surely there is great joy in following.

Also, nothing ordinary, I think we’ll find, is equal to the love- the Love of God from which it flows and the love to others which flows from this Greater Love. The type of love that makes your heart jump up and start screaming at the mere thought of your loved ones- the type of love that fills and flows over- but words fail.

And if humans, sinful man,  is capable of such love, compare it now to the to the Love of God to His children. There is not even a comparison here. Nothing ordinary is equal to this, no nothing. The comparison fails: our families, our dear friends, add so much- can give so much to us. What can we add to God? There is nothing in us. What does He ask of us through the power of His Son? He calls for our lives.  He calls for our all. He calls for us to serve Him through serving others. He calls for our love-our hearts.

And nothing ordinary is equal to this new call.

*Pastor John in reference to grace.