Hymn of the Day
(tune: "O, Worship the King, pg. 1)
Though troubles assail, and dangers affright;
Though friends should all fail, and foes all unite;
Yet one thing secures us whatever betide,
The Scriptures assure us THE LORD WILL PROVIDE!
The birds without barn, or storehouse are fed,
From them let us learn, to trust for our bread;
God's saints, what is fitting, shall ne'er be denied,
So long as 'tis written, THE LORD WILL PROVIDE!
No strength of our own, nor goodness we claim,
Yet since we have known, the Savior's great Name;
In this our strong tower for safety we hide,
The Lord is our power, THE LORD WILL PROVIDE!
When life sinks apace, and death is in view;
The word of His grace shall lead us safe through.
No fearing or doubting with Christ by our side,
We hope to die shouting, THE LORD WILL PROVIDE!
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Today’s Hymns
Chorus Medley – cb 1-4
Crown Him With Many Crowns #62,
And Can It Be? #cb7
All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name #42
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Special Dates:
Neleigh Ranschau – 16 ~ Bill Koedam – 18
Kenzie Koedam – 18 ~ Albert Bakker – 25
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In the very beginning, when this great universe lay in the mind of God like unborn forests in the acorn-cup, long before the echoes walked the solitudes, before the mountains were brought forth, and long before the light flashed through the sky, God loved His chosen creatures!
Before there was Creatureship--when the ether was not fanned by angel's wing, when space itself had not an existence, when there was nothing except God alone--even then, in that loneliness of Deity and in that deep quiet and profundity, His love moved for His chosen people.
Even then their names were written on His heart, and they were dear to His soul. -C.H. Spurgeon
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One of Satan’s devices in deceiving sinners is to cause them to confuse ceremonies with realties. Those strict Pharisees, whom the Lord said had the devil for a father, thought that their adherence to the ceremonies imposed on them by the Covenant of Sinai actually established them in a favorable relationship with God: they believed the sacrifices put their sins away. But those sacrifices (and all the other ritualistic demands of the Law) were only a shadow of the good things that would come when Christ fulfilled the Law and the Prophets. But the Satanic deception that the “blood of bulls and goats” could actually take away sin blinded the eyes of many so that they could not see Christ and the grace and truth that came by Him.
Satan continues this deception today for he has convinced many that the ceremonies Christ commanded are actually capable of producing the results they only illustrate. But a participation in the Lord’s Table cannot put Christ in you and the observance of Ceremonial Baptism cannot put you in Christ. As with all ceremonies the Lord has commanded, they serve only to illustrate a work that God does in the salvation of sinners. It is not the wine and bread that nourishes our souls, but Christ Himself; it is not the waters of baptism that wash away our sins, but the blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, that accomplishes this wondrous work. -Joe
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I do not mind my hearers being angry with me because of my preaching, for it is a good deal like fishing. If you have a good large salmon at the end of the line, he will struggle and pull with all his might, and thus he will swallow the hook all the more deeply, and there will be the less likelihood of his getting away, and an obstinate resistance to the Gospel is sometimes an indication that the Gospel is piercing and pricking the hearer, and making him snap at it as a wounded beast tries to bite the spear which has been thrust into him, and which he cannot pull out. -C.H. Spurgeon
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I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ -Philippians 1:3-6
Brethren, do we not have so much to be thankful for? God, the Heavenly Father chose us before the foundation of the world to save us from all of our ruin and sin. God, the glorious Son gave His life to pay the price for all of our ruin and sin. God, the Holy Spirit has called us out of our darkness into the glorious light of the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. We have been given the word of God. We have been given the gospel of God. We have been given each other - the people of God. We have been given spiritual eyes to see Christ. We have been given spiritual ears to hear Christ. We have been given spiritual hearts to believe on Christ. We have been given a place to worship Him. We have been given freedom to worship Him. He has given, and given, and given to us. What do we have that has not been freely given to us from Him? Even our trials have been given for the purpose of bringing good to us. We have no reason to complain about any of our Lord’s dealings with us; only reason to give thanks to Him. May our Lord put a spirit of thanks in our hearts, and a word of thanks on our tongues both now and forever more. “O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good: for his mercy endureth forever.” (Psalm 107:1) -Gabe Stalnaker
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O, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good.
His mercy endures forever!
~Psalm ~118.1