Category: Singing

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Who Is Going to Win?

Several of my best friends are ministers in the Lord’s church.  Some have been in mission fields around the world while others have served the Lord stateside.

One of my best friends has worked as a missionary in Poland, Russia and most recently the Ukraine.  We have been friends since the late 1980’s and I’m honored to call Terry Harmon my brother.  Just recently Terry and his family moved back to the states where he currently serves the Lord’s church in Flagler, Colorado.  Each month Terry writes a bulletin article that is shared with that small congregation and, with his permission, today we all get the chance to read his thoughts about winning and losing…

“Every once in a while, when the kids are off to bed and there is a chance to sit down for a few minutes, I will turn on a taped game of some sporting event.  The advantage of this is that you can watch a 3 1/2 hour football game in about thirty or forty minutes.  If you fast forward through all the commercials, halftime entertainment and commentators remarks (between plays), you can watch the game so much quicker.  This is the reason I love to watch games that have been recorded.  There is, however, one slight drawback (although it doesn’t bother me).  Many times you already know the outcome of the game.

It has interested me for some time now, that while I may know who won the game, for those who are AT the game, siting in the stands, the outcome is still undetermined.  This is especially important when it is a really close game and the score goes back and forth.  Perhaps you can relate to this, sitting in the stands and thinking, “who is going to win?”  During these contest of skill, the camera will often zoom in on fans nervously watching the score board, trying to calculate whether or not their team has enough time to pull out a win.  The expression on these faces is often priceless.  Nervous and downtrodden at times, they can change to upbeat and excited at the moment their team overcomes.

A few years ago it dawned on me that our lives as Christians are really just like a ‘taped sporting event.’  It may not feel like it at times when our lives are beaten down by Satan’s attacks.  When situations test us and conflicts challenge our daily walk.  But we must remember, the outcome has already been set.  It just doesn’t seem like it as we face the struggles of life.  One of the greatest lessons we learn in the New Testament is that if we as Christians are faithful to the Lord until death…WE WIN!  The story has already been written, and God guarantees the victory.  So we just have to trust, obey and keep fighting until, ‘the race is run’.

Believe in God’s word and take comfort from reading I John 5:4, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith.”  Also you’ll remember Revelation 7:14-15, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them.”

Note the present tense of the verb in the last verse, “They (we) serve Him day and night…”  God sees all of this as it will happen in the future, but for us it seems so far off and distant.  We need to realize that there is really nothing to be nervous about and nothing to agonize over.  The bottom line is, if we stay faithful with the Lord, THE VICTORY IS OURS!  The story (the game) is already complete.”

Thanks Terry for the reminder that we should have courage and the faith to know the outcome is secure.  And of course…this also reminds me of the perfect hymn:

“Encamped along the hills of light, ye Christian soldiers, rise.  And press the battle ere the night shall veil the glowing skies.  Against the foe in vales below let all our strength be hurled;  Faith is the victory, we know, that overcomes the world.  His banner over us is love, our sword, the Word of God; We tread the road the saints above with shouts of triumph trod.  By faith they, like a whirlwind’s breath, swept on, over every field; The faith by which they conquered death is still our shining shield.  On every hand the foe we find drawn up in dread array.  Let tents of easy be left behind and onward to the fray.  Salvation’s helmet on each head and faith all girt about the earth shall tremble beneath our tread and echo with our shout. Faith is the Victory!  Faith is the Victory!  O glorious victory that over comes the world.  (NOTICE THIS LAST VERSE)  To him that overcomes the foe white raiment shall be given; before the angels he shall know His name confessed in heaven;  Then onward from the hills of light, our hearts with love aflame, we’ll vanquish all the host of night in Jesus conquering name.”

FAITH IS THE VICTORY!

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Do YOU Know?

“Be curious always!  For knowledge will not acquire you: you must acquire it.”

And it’s true, we all have questions.  From the earliest years of life we have asked questions like…”How do birds fly?”  “How many stars are in the sky?”  “Do the ocean waves ever stop?”

Not only do little children ask questions, even the honest (mature) adults realize there are things in life for which we don’t have the answer.  The real question comes in understanding that though we might not know everything, there is one thing we can be sure of.  There is One who knows the answer to all of life’s queries.  But if we lack patience and humility, we’ll be inclined to reject anything with which we don’t agree.  The truth: God is the creator of all we see and all we have!  If we, as His creation, seek to know the answers we would be wise to go to the One who owns the ‘answer key’.  Otherwise we are left trying to guess at the answers to life’s questions.

Aileen Nicole Coleman-Mullen, professionally known as Nicole C. Mullen, was born in 1967.  She is an award-winning singer and songwriter.  I have recently come across one of her more captivating songs.  It’s known as “Redeemer”.  Read the words and feel the comfort in knowing…HE LIVES!

I KNOW MY REDEEMER LIVES!

Who taught the sun where to stand in the morning?
And who told the ocean, “You can only come this far?”
And who showed the moon where to hide ’till evening,
whose words alone can catch a falling star.

Well, I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives.
All of creation testifies.
This life within me cries.
I know my Redeemer lives!

The very same God that spins things in orbit,
runs to the weary, worn and the weak.
And the same gentle hands that hold me when I’m broken,
They conquered death to bring me victory!

Well, I know my Redeemer lives
I know my Redeemer lives.
All of creation testifies.
This life within me cries.
I know my Redeemer lives!

With all the questions we have in this life, and with many seeking answers to life’s questions, you can know that God is the Key!  He created our world and He brings us victory.  I know my Redeemer lives.

Do YOU know…He Lives!

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Understanding a 150 Year Old Hymn

Born in 1824, Walter Chalmers Smith served as a minister in the Free Church of Scotland, a poet and a hymn writer.  Unlike other writers from the 1800’s, Mr. Smith never amassed a collection of recognizable hymns.  However at the age of 43, he penned a song that we can still find in many hymnals today.  Rich in the language of ‘Old English’, Walter Chalmers Smith referenced I Timothy 1:17 as he penned “Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise”.  “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen”  I Timothy 1:17

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light in accessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessed most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice like mountains high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish – but naught changeth Thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
All praise we would render: O help us to see
‘Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee.

As a Christian hymn, this song is typically sung to the tune, “St. Denio”, originally a Welsh melody.  A well noted musicologist by the name of Erik Routley has given his impression of the hymn ‘Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise’.  He wrote:

“[Immortal Invisible] should give the reader a moment’s pause. Most readers will think they know this hymn, the work of another Free Kirk minister. But it never now appears as its author wrote it, and a closer look at it in its fuller form shows that it was by no means designed to be one of those general hymns of praise that the parson slams into the praise-list when he is in too much of a hurry to think of anything else but a hymn about the reading of scripture.  Just occasionally editorial tinkering changes the whole personality of a hymn; it has certainly done so here.”

When we sing songs (whether in the church auditorium, in the car driving down the road, or walking alone… ‘at eve’), are we thinking about the words to the songs we’re singing?  Processing our words and realizing what we’re saying should be more of a focus for those who sing.  Singing without thinking about the words would be no different than speaking without thinking about the message.  Read some of the words from this 150 year old hymn one more time, with some clearer understanding.

Verse 1…Immortal, invisible, God only wise (do we realize the immortality of our God?  We don’t see Him physically, but even in this ‘invisible state’ we know He is all wisdom.)

Verse 2…Unresting, unhasting and silent as light (God never sleeps, He’s not slow in keeping us and just as we can not hear the sun…we feel His presence.)  Nor wanting, nor wasting Thou rulest in might (God does not lack in giving to us, nor does He waste His time on us; He is the ultimate ruler.) Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above (Who won’t desire justice that holds a high standard in our life and death?)  Thy clouds which are fountains of goodness and love. (Ever notice the comfort, and rain, that comes from the clouds?  When you see a cloud floating in the sky, you can remember God’s ‘goodness and love.’)

Verse 3…Abundant life comes from God (‘we blossom and flourish’) and still we understand that if life we will all grow old (‘wither and perish’).  However…God never changes.

Verse 4…If you’ve ever tried to look directly at the sun, you know you can’t without being blinded.  In the same way, God’s brilliance hides Him from our sight.  Yet the author ask God, “O help us to see”!  Oh that we would ‘render our praise’ to God!  Conclude this hymn with the combination of verse 1 & 4; “All mighty, victorious, God’s great name we praise, and to Him…ALL praise we would render“.

 

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What If…You Make the Choice?

Have you ever ask yourself, “What if…”?

What if I oversleep?
What if I lose my wallet?
What if I miss my flight?
What if I have to sell my house?

The world is full of questions, and not just the ‘what if’ kind.  We could spend a lot of time talking and thinking about our answers to these questions, but take a moment to dig deeper into the ‘what if’ scenario.  During the early 1990, almost 20 years ago, many of us learned and began to echo a personal motto, a phrase that was used as a reminder of our belief.  A moral imperative that guided our thoughts concerning how we should act.  A phrase that not only directed our thoughts, but became a public display of our love for Jesus.  The motto could be found on bracelets and banners.  Do you remember WWJD, What Would Jesus Do?  This simple phrase was meant to motivate us to think about our actions.

So, what would you do if you overslept, or lost your wallet, or missed your flight?  Your heart will determine your actions and how you’ll react to your circumstances.  It’s important to keep this thought in mind as you live your life.  There’s a song that you will appreciate, and most certainly will help you consider a new dimension to the ‘what if’ question.  Click on the picture (or the title of the song below) and listen to the McCoy Family Singers as you read the words to this song.  What you would do if you had walked with Jesus?  How would that have changed you?

Song Title: “If I Could Have Walked with Jesus”

“If I could have walked the streets with Jesus.
If I could have washed my Savior’s feet,
if I could have seen His acts of mercy and love,
My joy would have been so complete!

If I could have seen Him in the garden,
if I could have waited while He prayed!
If I could have been there when my Lord was betrayed
I hope that I would not have strayed!

If I could have wiped the brow of Jesus
as He carried His cross to Calvary.
If I could have seen the open tomb where He rose
my faith would have transformed me!

O God, let me walk the streets for Jesus.
Let me wash Your people’s weary feet!
May I carry out His acts of mercy and love,
may faith in Him transform me!
May my faith in Christ transform me!”

Over two thousand years ago there were hundreds who really did walk with Jesus.  What if you had been one of them, what would you have done?  Would that experience have ‘transformed’ you?  Today we encounter people at every turn.  Within those encounters there are opportunities that will define who we are.  As we walk through life consider how you’ll treat people because ultimately that will determine your attitude toward God.  Carry out acts of mercy and love and see how you will change.  What if TODAY you decided to walk with Jesus?

How would that change you?

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Doing Chores…Part Two

What kind of chores do you have?  You know that we all have work to do, and in an earlier article we discussed a two-fold idea of ‘doing chores’.

The idea of working on the farm (doing chores) and how we, through God’s Word, are referred to as sheep.  Understand this clearly, we are sheep, and at the same time we have an obligation to tend sheep.  How can we be expected to do both?  Can we be sheep and at the same time be ‘shepherd’ sheep?

Perhaps the following song, written in the 1960s by Robert Arnold and Clyde Williams, gives the details of our task, our chore, when it comes to working with sheep.  Though not often sung in our congregations today, this song speaks to us about doing our chores.  The basis for this song is found in John 21:15-17; “So when they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me more than these?’  He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord: You know that I love You.’  He said to him, ‘Tend My lambs.’  He said to him again a second time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me?’  He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’  He said to him, ‘Shepherd My sheep.’  He said to him the third time, ‘Simon, son of John, do you love Me?’  Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, ‘Do you love Me?’  And he said to Him, ‘Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.’  Jesus said to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’ ”  Referencing Christ’s discussion with Peter by the Sea of Galilee, you’ll notice this song of encouragement is really Christ telling Peter (and us) to bring those who are lost back to Him.  If we love Him, we will be doing our chores and tending His sheep.  Perhaps we need to examine ourselves and see who we really love.

“In the good Book we’re told how to the saints of old, Jesus said, ‘Go feed My sheep;’
As He commanded then, we’ll be commanded when Jesus says children feed My sheep.

Chorus:
Lovest thou Me, My child, more than these? (repeat)
These are the words Peter of old, by our Lord then was told,
And today, Jesus says, these are My sheep.
Lovest thou Me, My child, more than these? (repeat)
As of old, so today, Hear the Lord, He will say,
Lovest thou Me, more than these?
Feed My sheep!

“Jesus commanded those, who would obey His call, ‘Go the lost and bring them in.’
Bring ye the wanderers home, wherever they may roam, Help them eternal life to win.

Chorus:
Lovest thou Me, My child, more than these? (repeat)
These are the words Peter of old, by our Lord then was told,
And today, Jesus says, these are My sheep.
Lovest thou Me, My child, more than these? (repeat)
As of old, so today, Hear the Lord, He will say,
Lovest thou Me, more than these?
Feed My sheep!”

There are chores to be done no doubt.  And like those years of my youth on a small, rural farm in the 70’s, you too have a chore.  But unlike those early years, you have a choice.  You don’t have to do your chores.  You can skip out on ‘tending the sheep’ and just play around in the garden.  If that’s the road you take you need to remember this; one day you’ll be ask how you did with your chores?  Did you love your Father and obey His directive?  Did you (do you) really love Him?  We can answer like Peter did, “Yes, Lord!  I love You…”  But the results of your labor will be the real answer to the question, “Lovest Thou Me?”  When we love our God, we’ll be doing our chores!

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How’s Your Memory?

On the first day of the week, every Sunday morning, Christians meet together to worship and fellowship with the family of God.

We sing, we pray, we read scripture and we listen to a message spoken from God’s Word.  But our focus, every week, turns solemn as we remember our Savior’s death, burial and resurrection.  We partake of the bread, and the fruit of the vine as we understand Christ’s words from Mark 14: 22-24, “While they were eating, He took some bread, and after a blessing He broke it, and gave it to them, and said, ‘Take it; this is My body’  And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And He said to them, ‘This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.’ ”  From the gospel account it is clear what Jesus was saying.  He was initiating for us a memorial.  A means by which we could remember His sacrifice for our salvation.

Why?  Are we so forgetful that we can’t remember something as important as our Savior’s sacrifice?  Allow me provide you with a few ‘loose’ illustrations.  Gentlemen, when’s your wife’s birthday?  Do you always remember to call dad on Father’s Day?  What happened on March 6, 1836?  (Let me help you with that last one…’Remember the Alamo’)  In another time it was not uncommon for families to drive out to the cemetery and place a bouquet of flowers on a loved ones grave.  Why?, because we love(d) them?  Is it because we miss them, or simply…so we won’t forget them.  The point is…we often forget.  We remember and partake of the Lord’ Supper for one basic reason…so we won’t forget!  Perhaps Paul explains it best when we read I Corinthians 11: 24-26, “and when He had given thanks, He broke it (the bread) and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’  in the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, ‘This is the cup of the new covenant in My blood; do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of Me.’  For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.”

We all have busy lives.  Our days begin early and end late.  The reason we have ‘fast food’ is because we want to eat it fast.  We don’t have time to slow down, we’re busy.  We don’t even have (more like ‘take’) the time to visit a grave site because we have slowly allowed the world to change our priorities.  That’s why we have memorials.  Without a constant reminder, our faith can become shallow and our love for God may slowly weaken.

In 1837 (the year after the Alamo fell), John R. Wreford penned a song of memory about our Savior’s death.  A song that many still sing today as we meet on first day of the week and commemorate the Lord’s Supper.

When my love to Christ grows weak,  when for deeper faith I seek,
Then in thought I go to Thee, Garden of Gethsemane.

There I walk amid the shades, while the evening twilight fades,
See that suffering, friendless One, weeping, praying there alone.

When my love for man grows weak, when for stronger faith I seek,
Hill of Calvary!  I go to thy scenes of fear and woe.

There behold His agony, suffered on the bitter tree:
See His anguish, see His faith Love triumphant still in death.

Then to life I turn again, learning all the worth of pain,
Learning all the might that lies in a full self-sacrifice.

Continue to keep Christ close to your heart and always on the front of our mind.  Remember the memorial is for us to remember Him, follow His will and prepare ourselves for His return.  So let me ask you…

How’s Your Memory?

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Doing Chores…Part One

Having grown up on a farm I can clearly remember when it was time  to do the chores.  Each day we had some very specific chores. 

During the 1970’s in  a rural, farming community it was not uncommon for us to have chores that dominated our day.  The cow had to be milked and the pigs had to be fed every morning and every evening.  The eggs had to be gathered each night.  Weeding the garden and cleaning out the animal’s pens was not weird, nor was it punishment, it was our norm.  There was no option of ‘skipping out’ on the responsibility to feed the animals and taking care of them.  If a chore was shirked and we chose to do something else, the price to pay would be staggering.  Our breakfast in the morning consisted of the eggs we gathered the night before.  The 2 gallons of milk we collected daily would feed our family of six (four growing boys) daily.  The vegetables we grew in the garden would be canned or preserved for the winter months.  We did our chores because we knew there would be consequences if we didn’t obey.  But we also did our chores because our parents cared for us, and we loved our parents.  You see, our chores were important to our survival.

But before we go much further you need to know that with all the animals we had to care for, we never owned sheep.  Chickens, cattle, hogs and even an occasional horse or two, but never sheep.  And as I understand them, sheep are very precarious when it comes to raising them.  Some even say they’re stupid animals.  Again, having never raised sheep I’m not speaking from direct experience, but from what sheep farmers and those who raise sheep have told me.  Those who tend sheep know that the responsibility to care for them is intensified.  Sheep challenge your resolve when it comes to feeding them, watering them and shearing them.  Much less keeping them alive.

But have you ever noticed that the Bible calls followers of Christ ‘sheep’?  Matthew 10:16, “Behold, I send you out as SHEEP…” and Matthew 25:33, “and He will put the SHEEP on His right, and the goats on the left…” and Matthew 26:31, “I will strike down the Shepherd, and the SHEEP of the flock will be scattered…”  And no doubt you’ll remember the 23rd Psalm as it refers to us as sheep and the Lord as our Shepherd.  “The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures.”

There is a connection between doing chores and the idea that we are sheep and Christ is our Shepherd!  Perhaps you can see the connection between doing God’s work (doing our chores) and the need to take care of the sheep when you look deeper into God’s Word.  From a Biblical point of view, the world is not in the safety of the fold.  And God calls His people (the sheep) with the help of the Shepherd (Jesus) to bring a lost people home.  (The cattle are out of the pen; there’s a fox in the hen house; there are chores to be done.)  Take out your Bible and read I Peter 2:25; “For you were continually straying like sheep, but now you have returned to your Shepherd and Guardian of your souls.” 

Next time we’ll see how to make sense of this comparison…being like a sheep, and tending the sheep.  There are always chores to be done.  We will look at a song (not a surprise) that addresses this responsibility and obligation to work in the fold.  Stay tune as we continue to look at ‘doing chores’.  Let’s work together.

 

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Filling in the Blanks…

It’s raining cats and _____ outside!

Completing this sentence should be no problem; you know the last word.  If the rain is really come down hard you might say, ‘it’s raining cats and dogs.’  (A phrase with an interesting background; I’ll share it with you sometime.)  Many times when you hear a familiar line you can finish the rest of sentence.   Today let me share a few lines from a few older hymns.  Check and see how good you are at ‘filling in the blanks’.  Have fun, but stay with me to the end.

“Before you left your room this morning, did you think to __________ ?”

“On bended knee we come, with a ___________ heart I come…bowing down before Your holy throne.”

“Father, in the morning, unto Thee I __________.”

“Lord, we come before Thee now; at Thy feet we ____________    bow.”

“My eyes are dry, my faith is old, my heart is hard, my __________ are cold.”

“When you pillow your head at the close of the day, and you meet with the Lord in __________.”

“The world has lost the right of __________ and saints have failed to __________ .”

No doubt you’ve realized each of these lines can be filled with only two words.  Have you figured it out?  Look again and you’ll realize the empty lines are more than just blanks in need of a word.  They represent an attitude and a behavior we need to have and model.  One more phrase to help drive the point home; “Father, hear the __prayer__ we offer…”

We talk about prayer and sometime we even remember to pray for a meal or when we tuck the kids into bed at night.  But is that the only time we come to call on the name of our Father in prayer?  You would admit that prayer comes easy when trials hit our life.  In the face of death and destruction we are ever so eager to pray.  (Remember Peter as he tried to walk on the water…Matthew 14?  His prayer was simple, “Lord, Save Me!”)  But would that we become a people who daily, without incident, bow before God’s throne and pray.  Just to say, ‘Good morning, Lord’ or ‘Thank You, Lord’.

Twenty years ago (1992) Steven Curtis Chapman and Jeff Moore combined their talents and penned a contemporary Christian song that addressed our prayer life with God.  A ‘hymn’ directed to the Lord of our life.  Notice the words from this song of encouragement…

“How do you explain, how do you describe a love that goes from east to west,
and runs as deep as it is wide.
You know all our hopes, Lord, You know all our fears.
And words cannot express the love we feel but we long for you to hear.

Chorus:
So listen to our hearts, hear our spirits sing
a song of praise that flows from those You have redeemed.
We will use the words we know to tell You what an awesome God you are.
But words are not enough to tell You of our love, so listen to our hearts.”

If words could fall like rain from these lips of mine,
And if I have a thousand years, Lord, I would still run out of time.
If you listen to my heart, every beat will say:
‘Thank You for the Life, Thank You for the Truth, Thank You for the Way.’

Chorus:
So listen to our hearts, hear our spirits sing a song of praise that flows from those You have redeemed.
We will use the words we know to tell You what an awesome God You are.
But words are not enough to tell You of our love, so listen to our hearts.”

We can say the words and fill in the blanks, but how we really feel about God will be heard in the beating of our hearts.  When you pray today remember the words you say are very important; you are talking to God.  So when you ‘pillow your head’, say a prayer of thanks for the day God has given you.  Talk with your Father and let Him know your struggles, your joys and your cares.  Use the words you know, but give Him your life to show; because I think you know…it’s more than just filling in the blanks.

 

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Do You Want to Talk?

Think about this for a moment; who are you close to and who do you like to talk to?  Is there someone in your life with whom you can share your deepest concerns or your most intimate thoughts?

Understanding that is a personal question, and one that honestly can only be answered by YOU; consider this… how close are you to God?  My family and I set aside a time to pray around the kitchen table before we ‘break the bread’ (does your family still pray before you eat?).  We remind our kids to ‘say their prayers as they go to bed at night (our kids are all in their teen years).  And every week, on more than one occasion, we gather with our church family and pray together.  But is that good enough?  Do we share with God our personal, heartfelt concerns or are our prayers more routine?  Do are prayers just mainly consist of a check list that addresses all the ‘important’ things in our life.

Perhaps, instead, we should be praying with understanding.  We should be praying, as Paul said in I Thessalonians 5:17, “…without ceasing.”  And as we come to know God and to grow closer to Him, we realize this is our avenue of communication with Him.  Take time today, bow your head and pray.  He hears you and He cares.  Click on the title below (Pray) and listen to this song from Jan McCoy and the McCoy Family singers.  A beautiful reminder of the blessings we have when we pray.  I hope you’ll consider this song that speaks toward our ‘speaking’ to God.  As we call upon to hear us and answer our plea…

      Song Title:

“Pray, Pray, Pray”

“The Word plainly teaches that God’s children are to pray.
And how we are to pray is clear for Jesus shows the way.
When He walked on earth, He was a man like you and me,
But He called upon His Father’s help in prayer unceasingly.

Chorus:
So pray (to God) without ceasing, in all your work and your play.
Yes pray (to God) without ceasing.  Just stop, don’t look away, just pray, pray, pray.

Today we can carry out this privilege to pray.
And take out God’s captive for the Lord who leads the way.
By living this way we learn to pray unceasingly,
Our eyes upon the Father’s throne where Jesus intercedes.
Chorus:
So pray (to God) without ceasing, in all your work and your play.
Yes pray (to God) without ceasing.  Just stop, don’t look away, just pray, pray, pray.
Don’t look away, just pray, pray, pray. (repeat)

It’s not something you have to be a professional about doing, and there’s certainly no secret code.  Many fail to pray because they fail to see how God could care about them.  With all our issues and problems, many determine that God mostly likely wouldn’t even matter to God.  But you need to know this for sure…that is a lie perpetrated by God’s greatest adversary.  The devil would just as soon you not pray.  “Stop praying, turn away from God and don’t worry about talking to your Father.  He’s too busy for you.”

Simply put…God’s wants a relationship with you.  He would like to have an intimate conversation with you, but you have to be willing to come to Him.  He is speaking to you right now, but you’ll never hear Him unless you pick up the Word, the ‘Good Book’, God’s Holy BIBLE.  That’s His intimate conversation with you…I guess you have to ask yourself, do you want to talk?

 

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The Value of Fine Gold and the Honeycomb!

“More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold!”

Psalm 19:10 is the beginning for the ‘chorus’ of a song I recall singing during my youth.  A psalm that is not found in many (if any) of our hymnals.  To be quite honest, it was only a few years ago that I actually found the sheet music.  In my early years we would sing this psalm around the campfire (youth camp) or in the living room of one our friend’s homes (devotionals).  There is not much repetition with the words in this song, so our ‘song book’ was our Bible.  The words are almost a direct quote from the book of Psalms (19:7-10), but the musical arrangement was put together by Gary L. Mabry.  Of the 3 verses and chorus, you’ll notice that all four stanzas are taken straight from scripture.  (Remember, a ‘psalm’ is a song that is sung with the Bible as it’s text.)

Read these words as penned by King David in Psalm 19:7-10,

“The law of the Lord is perfect restoring the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
the judgements of the Lord are true; they are righteous all together.
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.”

If you remembered singing this song (or if this is a first) you were able to ‘sing along’ as you read the text.  But let’s dig deeper into the words of the Psalmist.  David refers to the “law of the Lord”, the “testimony of the Lord”, the “precepts of the Lord”, the “commandments of the Lord”, the “fear of the Lord” and the “judgments of the Lord”.  In turn, each one fulfills a need we have to follow ‘the Lord’.  Let’s break this song down (verse by verse) and examine the specific elements of God’s law in relationship to mankind.

First, as we look at Psalm 19:7, we understand that God’s law is perfect.  When we follow His law, it restores our soul to Him.  In addition, the testimony (the evidence and overwhelming proof) of God is sure, and those who believe in Him are wise.  Even, as this text explains, the ‘simple’ can gain wisdom and have confidence in the assurance of our Heavenly Father.

Psalm 19:8 continues with the precepts and the commandments of the Lord.  A precept, by definition, is ‘a principle intended as a general rule of action’ and a commandment is simply, ‘to direct authoritatively’.  Both precepts and commands are directives, given by and with authority.  But you’ll notice these ‘directives’ are right and pure.  They come from our Lord and give us true hope.  When we follow them, our hearts will rejoice and our eyes will be enlighten.

The final verse of this song (Psalm 19:9) includes the fear and the judgment of the Lord.  The fear of the Lord is clean, defined as thorough or complete, and last forever.  Will we fear God throughout eternity?  Undoubtedly YES!  As we come to understand that fearing the Lord is respecting Him and honoring His name we’ll know that is our reason for living.  As for the Lord’s judgments, they are true and righteous.  Know this; God will treat mankind with fairness.  He created us.  He calls us.  He longs for us.  However, if we don’t follow His law, believe His testimony, obey His precepts, follow His commandments or fear (honor) His name; He will have no other option but to judge us in all righteousness (fairly).

As we wrap up this ‘psalm’ let us consider what we notice to be the chorus of the song.  In the scripture we read verse 10 and understand from David that these God-given principles are of extreme value.  From the gold-miner’s prospective, God’s word is more desirable than gold.  And not just the raw gold from the bottom of the riverbed that is still unrefined.  The value of God’s gifts are like that of pure and unblemished gold.  To him who is hungry, God’s word is sweeter than honey, even the honey that drips directly from the honeycomb.

Sadly there are many who don’t believe any of these instructions.  They’ll read them, perhaps even try and follow some of the teachings from God’s word.  But in the end, they give up on His law.  Determine His ways are too hard to follow.  Remember that God will judge us all based on how much we value His commandments.  As you go through this day I encourage you to honor (fear) God, and savor His precepts (rules).  What we have in Christ is better than fine gold or the honeycomb.