O Sinner, Come Home!!

I love, love, LOVE this hymn. Loooooooooooooooove it! We sang it last night as a prelude to a sermon on the importance of sharing the gospel message with unbelievers. I decided to post it here as a feeble effort to do just that--share the blessed message of the gospel to someone who is needy. Who knows that the Lord might use this little blog post and the title I've given to it to alert one of His own that He is indeed calling that person to Himself.

Read the words carefully if you've come here in an unconverted state. Perhaps Jesus is calling YOU.

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.

Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,
Pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies,
Mercies for you and for me?

Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
Passing from you and from me;
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
Coming for you and for me.

O for the wonderful love He has promised,
Promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
Pardon for you and for me.

Refrain:
Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!

(Please turn off the music on the sidebar and reverently listen as you read the words. Of course, you will read the refrain after each stanza and play this as many times as you need to.)

Archibald's Prayer

"O most merciful God! . . . Thou has a perfect right to dispose of me, in that manner which will most effectively promote thy glory: And I know that whatever Thou dost is right, and wise, and just, and good. . . .And when my spirit leaves this clay tenement, Lord Jesus receive it! Send some of the blessed angels to convey my inexperienced soul to the mansion which Thy love has prepared. And O! let me be so situated, though in the lowest rank, that I may behold thy glory. May I have an abundant entrance administered unto me into the kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; for whose sake and in whose name, I ask all these things. Amen."

Prayer uttered by Archibald Alexander, founder of Princeton Theological Seminary, shortly before his death in 1851.

Keep the Unity

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Ephesians 4:1-6

The ministry of the Word which we heard yesterday was wonderful. That's the only way to describe it and the impact it had on my heart. I've heard many sermons over the years on the importance of unity in the church, but the two sermons preached yesterday on the above passage were outstanding. I can only thank the Lord for them. We were visited by a young man who has preached at our church many times before and how thankful I am to have had him come once again to preach to us. God has recently given him a church to pastor and he shared with us some delightful food that I'm sure his congregation has enjoyed.

What stood out for me from this two part sermon on this passage, was what Pastor X. emphasized about the diversity that is found in the body of Christ, believers from different ethnic groups, ages, genders, etc. all coming together as one. We're not being told in this passage to do something outside of what is true from chapters 1 through 3 of Ephesians, but to KEEP what we already have. I love that. We already have unity because of what we are in Christ. As he said, "you're a bird, so fly." Get it? We are in Christ and are one in Him. The apostle Paul is telling us to continue in what we already have. I like it that he said he didn't want to bring down the law heavy on us, telling is "DO, DO, DO," but was reminding us that we HAVE peace, so live it. That really blessed me so much.

I cannot do these sermons justice, but I hope you get the picture.

Your Rock

"Believe God's word and power more than you believe your own feelings and experiences. Your Rock is Christ, and it is not the Rock which ebbs and flows, but your sea." ~ Samuel Rutherford

Susannah

There is a sweet article at the Persecution Blog. It's entitled "She Refused to be a 'Sunday Only" Christian." Please read it, especially if you're a mom.

Savoury Mercies

The Lord is my portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. Psalm 16: 5-6

Take notice not only of the mercies of God, but of God in the mercies. Mercies are never so savoury as when they savour of a Saviour. ~ Ralph Venning, 1620-1673

Could You Help?

When I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison and ye came unto me. Matthew 25: 35-36

Good Soldier

"While we are zealously performing the duties of good citizens and soldiers, we certainly ought not to be inattentive to the higher duties of religion. To the distinguished character of a patriot, it should be our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of a Christian. " ~ George Washington

My daughter used this quote by our first President in a Patriotic Project she just completed for her American Government class. Grading this paper as her home teacher, I thought it was one of the finest she's ever written. In the paper, she referred to the above painting and said that the artist "brilliantly captured on canvas this founding father practicing what he preached." I agree. One primary aspect of the project was to discuss how the particular patriot responded to the diminishing influence of Biblical values in his society. He surely saw it in his day, but how do you think Mr. Washington would have responded to what is happening today? Personally, I think he would be horrified.

We need more leaders doing just what you see in the above portrait. And they need to mean it, not just do it for show. Maybe if that would happen, things wouldn't continue to decline so rapidly. I would like to think it's not over yet. There's still a battle going on. And parents and grandparents, it's for the moral soul of our country. That means our children and grandchildren are involved. So let's follow the example of the first official leader our nation ever knew and get down on bended knees. But afterward, let's get up and fight.

Our weapons of war? The Bible and the gospel.

Confessing Christ Boldly to Others

The wickedness of being ashamed of Christ is very great. It is a proof of unbelief. It shows that we care more for the praise of men whom we can see, than that of God whom we cannot see. It is a proof of ingratitude. It shows that we fear confessing Him before man who was not ashamed to die for us upon the cross. Wretched indeed are they who give way to this sin. Here, in this world, they are always miserable. A bad conscience robs them of peace. In the world to come they can look for no comfort. In the day of judgment they must expect to be disowned by Christ to all eternity, if they will not confess Christ for a few years upon earth. Let us resolve never to be ashamed of Christ. Of sin and worldliness we may well be ashamed. Of Christ and His cause we have no right to be ashamed at all. Boldness in Christ's service always brings its own reward. The boldest Christian is always the happiest person.

~ J.C. Ryle

I Will Be With Thee

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. Isaiah 41:10

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. Isaiah 43:2

What better promise is there than that? "I will be with Thee." Not only will He strengthen, help, and uphold us, but when we pass through the waters of affliction and fires of adversity, we will come through these trials unscathed. At least spiritually. But these promises were made to Israel, you say. Yes, indeed they were. But aren't you thankful that if you and I are His children by faith, as was Abraham, we have been grafted in? Romans 11 says so and I believe what it says, don't you? So these promises are ours too, and I am eternally grateful.