Praise the Savior

Praise the Savior, all ye nations,
Praise Him, all ye hosts above;
Shout, with joyful acclamation,
His divine, victorious love.
With my substance will I honor
My Redeemer and my Lord;
Were ten thousand worlds my manor,
All were nothing to His Word:
While the heralds of salvation
His abounding grace proclaim,
Let His friends, of every station,
Gladly join to spread His fame.
Benjamin Francis (1734-1799)

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving day yesterday. It is by the Lord's mercies we are not consumed. His compassions do not fail.

Abounding Compassion of God; or, Mercy in the Midst of Judgment

My soul, repeat his praise,
Whose mercies are so great,
Whose anger is so slow to rise,
So ready to abate.

God will not always chide;
And when his strokes are felt,
His strokes are fewer than our crimes,
And lighter than our guilt.

High as the heav'ns are raised
Above the ground we tread,
So far the riches of his grace
Our highest thoughts exceed.

His power subdues our sins,
And his forgiving love
Far as the east is from the west
Doth all our guilt remove.

The pity of the Lord,
To those that fear his name,
Is such as tender parents feel;
He knows our feeble frame.

He knows we are but dust,
Scattered with every breath;
His anger, like a rising wind,
Can send us swift to death.

Our days are as the grass,
Or like the morning flower;
If one sharp blast sweep o'er the field
It withers in an hour.

But thy compassions, Lord,
To endless years endure;
And children's children ever find
Thy words of promise sure.
-- Isaac Watts, 1719

We need Jesus

"We need Jesus; He doesn't need us...By the way people talk about ministry today, you would think that the success of the Kingdom turns on us -- that God is passively waiting for us to get on with things...Ministry is not your gift to Him. It is His gift to you." -- In "The Sanctification of Ministry Failure" by Art Azurdia

"Patriotic" Millionaires

Patriotic Millionaires for Fiscal Strength are begging a congressional super-committee to raise their taxes. Ha! I say, have at it. Raise the taxes on every member of Patriotic Millionaires for Fiscal Strength! Leave everybody else alone.

I'm no millionaire; not even a thousand-aire. I'm a just-getting-by-aire. But on a more serious note this sticks in my craw for at least two reasons. One, to call themselves "patriotic" millionaires because they want more taxes has a subtle implication that those who don't want more taxes aren't patriotic. I'd be interested to know how many of these "patriotic" millionaires are taking every deduction and credit that the IRS allows. All of them, I'd bet. This fades into number two. If they want to support the government so much, let them go ahead and start sending in donations. Why wait for a slowing moving government to send a bill. Go ahead. There's nothing stopping you! Even my little weak mind knows there's more to your agenda than patriotism.

Personhood

On Tuesday Nov. the 8th the Personhood Amendment in Mississippi was defeated at the polls by a 58 to 42 percent margin. This amendment would have defined the term 'person' or 'persons' to include 'every human being from the moment of fertilization'. I had not followed this closely, but had expected this would pass in Mississippi. I'm not sure what happened.

God writes straight with crooked lines

Her life with Him was full of signs
That God writes straight with crooked lines.
Dark clouds can hide the rising sun,
And all seem lost, when all be won!

[From a poem written in 1969 by Jeremiah Denton, while a prisoner of war in Vietnam]

Lord, save me

When Peter was about to sink beneath the violent waves of old Galilee, he cried out, "Lord, save me." (Matthew 14:30) We could learn a lot from Peter's plea.

Peter's prayer was brief and to the point. "Lord, save me." Only three words. Some people believe they will be heard because of much speaking, and for a pretense make long prayers. Yet, the model prayer can be recited in about thirty seconds. Jesus's prayer in John 17 can be read in about four minutes. Solomon's prayer of dedication of the temple in I Kings 8 can be read in six minutes, and is probably the longest prayer recorded in the Bible. This is not to say long prayer is never desirable. On one occasion Jesus asked his disciples, "Could ye not pray with me one hour?" But the length itself does not tune a prayer to God's ears.

Peter's prayer was directed to The One who could help. "Lord." LORD, save me. He didn't cry out "Lord, save me" in hopes that James and John would throw him a life preserver. Some who don't really believe in God nevertheless speak highly of prayer, whether hypocritically or ignorantly. But prayer for prayer's sake is of no benefit. Prayer is "to God". He that cometh to God must believe that He is.

Peter's prayer was urgent. "He cried." With the hymn writer, we and Peter might agree, "Do not turn away thy face, Mine's an URGENT pressing case!" All formality was left off and Peter got right to what he wanted. When prayers are urgent, we pray right where we are. It's good and right to come to the house of prayer, and to meet God in our prayer "closets". But if we ought to pray without ceasing, pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and so forth, then any place we ought to be ought to be a place of prayer. "Where’er they seek Thee Thou art found, And every place is hallowed ground."

Peter's prayer was personal. "Lord, save ME." We should pray for others. Give US this day OUR daily bread, etc. But sometimes we perhaps think we are pious by asking for others and not ourselves. But our personal prayers for our personal needs actually acknowledge our dependence on God. Lord, save me, I can't save myself! ("Every prayer is an acknowledgement of our weakness and dependence . Who would ask that of another which he thinketh to be in his own power?" -- Thomas Manton)

Peter's prayer was answered. "...immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him." The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. No doubt it was fervent. "Near-death" experiences create fervency. But all our prayers should be fervent. If any man ask anything according to His will God hears. Peter's need was heard. He was saved.

This is not to say that we should apply this all as some kind of cold formula for answered prayer. We Americans like our "12-steps", methods and formulas. But, "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (And be thankful the Holy Spirit helps our infirmities in prayer.)

Jesu, my Savior, Brother, Friend,
On Whom I cast my every care,
On Whom for all things I depend,
Inspire, and then accept, my prayer.

The scope of biblical commands

Excerpts below originally posted by Scott Ransom on the Baptist Board. I found them interesting.

"...a few guiding hermeneutical principles for determining the scope of biblical commands.

"Interpret imperatives in light of their literary genre. A specific context may contain both timeless and temporary forms... The principle of

"Use of imperatives of the Bible is enduring for us if:
*it is addressed to an enduring audience
*it is based on a permanent relationship
*it is repeated, especially transculturally
*it is supported by prescriptive, and not merely descriptive, passages
*it is supported without abusing its literary genre
*it is taught as principle, not merely a manifestation of a principle"

Thoughts?

Cowper & Newton hymns

JERICHO; Or, The waters healed.
2Ki 2:19-22

Though Jericho pleasantly stood,
And looked like a promising soil;
The harvest produced little food,
To answer the husbandman's toil.
The water some property had,
Which poisonous proved to the ground;
The springs were corrupted and bad,
The streams spread a barrenness round.

But soon by the cruse and the salt,
Prepared by Elisha's command,
The water was cured of its fault,
And plenty enriched the land:
An emblem sure this of the grace
On fruitless dead sinners bestowed;
For man is in Jericho's case,
Till cured by the mercy of God.

How noble a creature he seems!
What knowledge, invention and skill!
How large and extensive his schemes!
How much can he do if he will!
His zeal to be learned and wise,
Will yield to no limits or bars;
He measures the earth and the skies,
And numbers and marshals the stars.

Yet still he is barren of good;
In vain are his talents and art;
For sin has infected his blood,
And poisoned the streams of his heart:
Though cockatrice eggs he can hatch,
Is 54:5
Or, spider-like, cobwebs can weave;
'Tis madness to labor and watch
For what will destroy or deceive.

But grace, like the salt in the cruse,
When cast in the spring of the soul;
A wonderful change will produce,
Diffusing new life through the whole:
The wilderness blooms like a rose,
The heart which was vile and abhorred;
Now fruitful and beautiful grows,
The garden and joy of the Lord.

John Newton (1725-1807) Olney Hymns, 1779

The covenant.
Ezek 36:25-28

The Lord proclaims His grace abroad!
"Behold, I change your hearts of stone;
Each shall renounce his idol god,
And serve, henceforth, the Lord alone.

"My grace, a flowing stream, proceeds
To wash your filthiness away;
Ye shall abhor your former deeds,
And learn My statutes to obey.

"My truth the great design ensures,
I give Myself away to you;
You shall be Mine, I will be yours,
Your God unalterably true.

"Yet not unsought or unimplored,
The plenteous grace I shall confer;
No-your whole hearts shall seek the Lord,
I'll put a praying spirit there.

"From the first breath of life divine
Down to the last expiring hour,
The gracious work shall all be Mine,
Begun and ended in My pow'r."

William Cowper (1731-1800) Olney Hymns, 1779

The Contemplation of God

Excerpt from the Shreveport Grace Church bulletin:

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1)

God’s love is –

Eternal – it is without beginning and end. (Jer 31:3)

Sovereign – it is without external influence. (Eph 1:4)

Immutable –it is without change. (Rom 8:35)

Gracious – it is without condition. (Jn 3:16)

By T. David Simpson

Manna

MANNA. Ex 16:18

Manna to Israel well supplied
The want of other bread;
While God is able to provide,
His people shall be fed.

(Thus though the corn and wine should fail,
And creature-streams be dry;
The prayer of faith will still prevail,
For blessings from on high.)

Of his kind care how sweet a proof!
It suited every taste;
Who gathered most, had just enough,
Enough, who gathered least.

'Tis thus our gracious Lord provides
Our comforts and our cares;
His own unerring hand provides,
And gives us each our shares.

He knows how much the weak can bear,
And helps them when they cry;
The strongest have no strength to spare,
For such he'll strongly try.

Daily they saw the Manna come,
And cover all the ground;
But what they tried to keep at home,
Corrupted soon was found.

Vain their attempt to store it up,
This was to tempt the Lord;
Israel must live by faith and hope,
And not upon a hoard.

John Newton (1725-1807)
Olney Hymns, 1779

Pulpit Freedom Sunday

I heard on the radio that today is "Pulpit Freedom Sunday". I looked it up, and this is part of the Alliance Defense Fund's Pulpit Initiative started in 2008. Its stated goal is the repeal of the 1954 "Johnson amendment" to the tax code. Johnson was a crafty fellow who snuck this in to keep certain charitable organizations from supporting his opponent. The idea behind the amendment is that organizations granted tax exemption should not intervene in political campaigns: "all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office." This applies to all 501(c)(3) organizations, whether or not they are churches.

The "Johnson amendment" is supported by organizations such as the ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State, who in turn oppose "Pulpit Freedom Sunday".

The ADF hopes that by pastors violating the tax code, it will lead to a lawsuit/lawsuits which we eventually overturn the "Johnson amendment" as unconstitutional. Interestingly, the group supporting preachers not being told by the government what to preach tells preachers what to preach on "Pulpit Freedom Sunday"! This is, of course, necessary for them to get in a proper violation in order to get sued. On the other hand, Americans United for the Separation of Church & State are trolling for violations so they can report to the IRS and get those perpetrators' tax exemptions revoked. Yes, they apparently "think a lot" of each church's religious freedoms!?

The way I see it, there is a lot of misinformation all around. First, some churches and preachers have misunderstood that the discussion of moral issues such as abortion and homosexuality are prohibited. Thus far, the violation of this tax code has only been applied to indorsing candidates and parties, and not to taking sides on moral issues. Herein is the rub. Some churches believe that taking a stand against a certain candidate IS a moral issue.

Two things I see:

1. The legal side. Freedom of speech is clearly constitutional. But is it a constitutional freedom to be exempt from taxes? I'm no constitutional scholar and can't answer that question. Apparently for the first 175 years or so, our country thought it was or had not thought about it at all. In 1954 that changed, largely due to a clever politician. My take is that any preacher and church who feels strongly enough about this should do what they feel is right, and if they lose the tax exemption do what they believe is right regardless.

2. The biblical side. What are we called to do? Are we called to preach the gospel or get into politics? Will politics and government change our world for the better, or will Jesus Christ, the gospel and the Word of God? We are called to preach -- which includes moral issues -- but often we exchange our birthright of preaching for a mess of political porridge.

From the legal/constitutional angle, I favor preachers and churches being free from the tax code and free to preach what they believe, even where it intersects politics and even where I disagree with them.

From the biblical angle, we have plenty to preach and teach from the Word of God to keep us busy for the rest of lives without entering the political arena of parties and candidates. If we faithfully preach this we will have touched on every angle of every issue, for the Word of God throughly furnishes us unto all good works.

A people named "Sue"

Kidnap victim Jaycee Dugard has filed suit against the federal government for failing to properly monitor her captor, Phillip Garrido, who was on parole.

A West Palm Beach, Florida couple was awarded $4.5 million in a “wrongful birth” law suit. They claimed certina medical professionals were negligent, not finding or telling them that their child had no arms and only one leg. They say if they would have known they would have aborted the baby. They found a 6-person jury who agreed with them.

And the latest, three people in Bastrop County, TX are suing (s l o w d o w n and read c a r e f u l l y) Bluebonnet Electric because dead tree limbs fell on their power lines and started the raging wildfire in the area.

Our world has gone lawsuit crazy. In the first case, of Jaycee Dugard, I can feel sympathy. If only... But still the suit shifts the blame from where it really lies -- Phillip Garrido and his wife -- to someone who probably has deeper pockets. In the second case, the newly wealthy couple accepts no responsibility for the baby THEY created and shifts the blame to the medical profession. Perhaps folks who gave birth 50 or 60 years can find someone to sue because there weren't any sonograms/ultrasounds/whatever available to them at the time. (And we should not fail to notice that the couple intended to use the information to commit murder). And Bastrop County, in Texas no less, the power company is now responsible for what used to be called "acts of God". I suppose the lawyer couldn't figure out how to sue God!! Why not try -- all the gold and silver is His and the cattle on a thousand hills.

3 hymns

Months, days and hours shall pass away
Blending in one eternal day.
The Christian's hope shall be his store
When time shall be no more.
R. L. Vaughn, 2011
____________________

Psalm 102:3. 25-28. Third Part
Man's mortality and Christ's eternity; or,
Saints die, but Christ and the church live.

It is the Lord our Saviour's hand
Weakens our strength amidst the race;
Disease and death at his command
Arrest us, and cut short our days.

Spare us, O Lord, aloud we pray,
Nor let our sun go down at noon:
Thy years are one eternal day,
And must thy children die so soon?

Yet in the midst of death and grief
This thought our sorrow shall assuage,
"Our Father and our Saviour live;
"Christ is the same thro' every age."

'Twas he this earth's foundation laid;
Heaven is the building of his hand:
This earth grows old, these heavens shall fade,
And all be chang'd at his command.

The starry curtains of the sky
Like garments shall be laid aside;
But still thy throne stands firm and high;
Thy church for ever must abide.

Before thy face thy church shall live,
And on thy throne thy children reign;
This dying world shall they survive,
And the dead saints be rais'd again.
By Isaac Watts
____________________

How charming is the place
Where my Redeemer God
Unveils the beauties of His face,
And sheds His love abroad.

Not the fair palaces
To which the great resort,
Are once to be compared with this,
Where Jesus holds His court.

Here, on the mercy seat,
With radiant glory crowned,
Our joyful eyes behold Him sit,
And smile on all around.

To Him their prayers and cries
Each humble soul presents:
He listens to their broken sighs,
And grants them all their wants.

To them His sovereign will
He graciously imparts;
And in return accepts, with smiles,
The tribute of their hearts.

Give me, O Lord, a place
Within Thy blest abode,
Among the children of Thy grace,
The servants of my God.
1787 by Samuel Stennett

The narrow way, by Cowper

The narrow way.

What thousands never knew the road!
What thousands hate it when 'tis known!
None but the chosen tribes of God,
Will seek or choose it for their own.

A thousand ways in ruin end,
One, only, leads to joys on high;
By that my willing steps ascend,
Pleased with a journey to the sky.

No more I ask, or hope to find,
Delight or happiness below;
Sorrow may well possess the mind
That feeds where thorns and thistles grow.

The joy that fades is not for me,
I seek immortal joys above;
There, glory without end, shall be
The bright reward of faith and love.

Cleave to the world ye sordid worms,
Contented lick your native dust;
But God shall fight, with all his storms,
Against the idol of your trust.

William Cowper (1731-1800)
Olney Hymns, 1779

Huh?

We live in a world so intolerant that we can't even have the Ten Commandments on student book-covers, all the while wondering why they lie and cheat and steal and rape and kill.

Go figure.

Daniel Read complains, gets even

I enjoyed and was amused by these honest thoughts of Daniel Read.

“It is not only ungenerous but unjust to publish the works of any author without his consent.—Irritated beyond measure at the unprovoked robbery committed upon the American Singing Book by the Editor of the Worcester Collection and having no redress but by retaliation there being then no law in existance to prevent such abuses I availed myself of that opportunity to publish some peices [sic] from the Worcester Collection to which I had no right.” – Excerpt from a 1793 letter from Daniel Read to Jacob French, as printed in Music in the USA: a Documentary Companion, Judith Tick, editor, (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2008, p. 74)

The Wal-Mart of Lumber

It struck me while hunting for something in Lowe's that they are the "Wal-Mart" of lumber.

(This is not complimentary to Lowe's or Wal-Mart.)

Psalm 27, Watts

PSALM 27 PART 2 v.8,9,13,14
C. M.
Prayer and hope.

Soon as I heard my Father say,
"Ye children, seek my grace,"
My heart replied without delay,
"I'll seek my Father's face."

Let not thy face be hid from me,
Nor frown my soul away;
God of my life, I fly to thee
In a distressing day.

Should friends and kindred near and dear
Leave me to want or die,
My God would make my life his care,
And all my need supply.

My fainting flesh had died with grief
Had not my soul believed,
To see thy grace provide relief;
Nor was my hope deceived.

Wait on the Lord, ye trembling saints,
And keep your courage up;
He'll raise your spirit when it faints,
And far exceed your hope.

Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
The Psalms of David, 1719

Louisiana singing

North Central Louisiana Sacred Harp Singing meets at Ringgold, south of Minden on Saturday September 3rd, starting at 10 a.m. (d.v.). Singing is from both the “red book” and the “blue book”. The location is at New Providence Primitive Baptist Church. From Interstate 20 at Minden, take US 371 south and travel about 20 miles to Ringgold. Turn left/east on Highway 154 and go about one mile; the New Providence church and cemetery is on the left. More info: (318) 894-9549.

Y'all come.