Love Beyond Degree!

I heard this playing this morning and it blessed me so much, so I'm posting it here. Oh, how I love the hymns! How rich they are with the gospel! How beautifully they express the truths of the Word of God! The tune which I like is here.

Alas! and did my Saviour bleed,
And did my Sovereign die!
Would he devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I!

Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree!
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

Well might the sun in darkness hide,
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker, died
For man the creature's sin.

Thus might I hide my blushing face
While his dear cross appears;
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt mine eyes in tears.

But drops of grief can ne'er repay
The debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away,
'Tis all that I can do.

~Isaac Watts, 1707

One Pearl

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Matthew 13:44-46.

The merchant went looking for pearls (plural) but he only found one. But the pearl that he found was of such quality that he sold all else for it. That's what it is to find Christ. When you do, you forsake all to follow Him. And what else do you do when you find the best treasure that is ever to be found?

"It is not a string of pearls that is discovered; one pearl rewards the seeking of a lifetime, and the one pearl gives perfect satisfaction. Now, brethren, in the Kingdom of our Lord we see what at once recalls to us both parables. No treasure hidden in any field can be more various than the Kingdom's riches. And yet the joy of the Kingdom is just this, that all its riches are treasured up in Christ, and that everything that the heart needs for satisfaction is to be found in Him and Him alone." ` George H. Morrison

Sunday Snippet - The Thought of Jesus

Jesus, the very thought of thee
With sweetness fills my breast;
But sweeter far thy face to see,
And in thy presence rest.

Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame,
Nor can the mem'ry find,
A sweeter sound than thy blest Name,
O Saviour of mankind.

O Hope of ev'ry contrite heart,
O Joy of all the meek,
To those who fall, how kind thou art!
How good to those who seek!

But what to those who find? Ah, this
Nor tongue nor pen can show:
The love of Jesus, what it is
None but his loved ones know.

Jesus, our only Joy be thou,
As thou our Prize wilt be;
Jesus, be thou our Glory now,
And through eternity.

We took communion at our service tonight, which is always a blessing to the people of God. He knew what He was doing, didn't He, by leaving this ordinance for His church? How quickly we'd get caught up in the things of this world and think too little about all that He's accomplished for us at Calvary. "Do this in remembrance of Me," He said, and so we do, or we would indeed be prone to forget. I'm thankful and privileged each time I can partake with the other saints.

We also sang this hymn during the service. It wasn't one of the ones we would sing in the church I grew up in, but now it has become a favorite of mine. The thought of Jesus--what sweetness that brings to our hearts. Our only Joy, our Prize, our Glory now and through eternity.