Hymn of the Day
(tune: "Amazing Grace"p.236)
By the Father’s mercy we are sanctified,
Set apart for glory, in the Crucified;
Chosen to be given to the Son of God,
Destined to eternal joy in heav’n above.
By the Father’s choosing, By Christ’s precious blood,
By the Spirit’s calling, We belong to God!
By Christ’s blood outpouring, we are sanctified.
Put in Him Divinely, we with him have died.
Thus, from wrath delivered by the price He paid,
We are His and not our own. His name be praised!
By the Spirit’s calling we are sanctified,
Drawn to Christ by gospel, with Him to abide.
Stubborn wills were broken, Dead hearts made to live,
Christ revealed, blind eyes unveiled, and faith was giv’n.
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My beloved spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me. SOS 2.10
Take me with you; come, let’s run! The king has brought me into his bedroom. SOS 1.4
The old hymn begins, “Brethren, we have met to worship.” Let us keep this principle in mind as we meet, purposefully casting aside every other consideration or concern. Just as married couples seek time to be alone together so they can focus upon and enjoy their love for one another, so let us jealously guard this time from any intrusion that would somehow hinder our time together with our Lord, our heavenly husband, seeking with all our hearts to know Him better and enjoy the love He has shown to us and in return, express our love and devotion to Him. You have doubtless had many frustrations during the past week and your mind may be full of worries about the coming week. Put them all out of mind; seriously, forget them. There will be sufficient time to deal with these matters later. And who knows, if we are enabled by God to truly enter into the heart of our Lord and He into our hearts, all these frustrations and worries will likely just melt away.
For us, gathering to worship God is not some chore to be gotten over with; it is not a dreary drudgery to be endured. Rather, it is the sweet opportunity to meet with our heavenly Husband in His bedchamber and spiritually to enjoy all His beauty. It is the closest thing to heaven on earth. Let us devote ourselves to it!
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Today’s Hymns: So Be Still My Heart – #cb18
Hallelujah, God Has Saved Me - #cb11 * And Can It Be? - #cb7
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Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me. But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it to dogs. And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table. -Matthew 15:25-27
My wife and I have a little dog. We love that little dog. That little dog serves no real purpose in life, she only desires to be the object of our affection. She begs for food. Sometimes she has to be cleaned up after. She is totally dependent on us and without our constant care, she will die. She is somewhat a liability. Yet, in spite of her liabilities, she brings us great joy. She is always glad to see us when we return from being away. She loves us dearly and desires to be with us every hour. We go to great lengths to make sure every need of our dog is provided for. We see to it that she is treated with compassion and tender care. Regardless of all her endearing qualities, at the end of the day, she is still a dog. She still acts like a dog. I think she enjoys being a dog. Many dogs in this world do not fare so well as our dog does. From my perspective, being OUR dog is a wonderful privilege. I have seen other dogs that do not fare as well as our dog. It seems that the quality of a dog’s life depends on who their master is.
I rejoice greatly that I, the dog that I am, belong to that Master who constantly sees to it that I have all I need and yet much more. My Master, the Lord Jesus Christ, requires only one thing from me in return. What does He require of me? Nothing but my love, adoration and worship of Him. How wonderful and life sustaining it is to constantly eat of the crumbs that fall from His table. Child of God, I like being my Master’s dog! Don’t you? -David Eddmenson
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I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war.
-Psalm 120:7
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. Not only is He FOR peace; He also MADE peace through the blood of His cross, that those who were alienated and enemies in their mind through wicked works would be reconciled to God (Colossians 1:20-21). Yet, when He speaks, men are for war. They draw the sword of their tongue and blaspheme their only hope for peace with God.
Oh, what grace the Lord gives us to hear His voice and lay down our swords. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand (John.10:27-28). Let us follow our Lord in being FOR peace with all men whenever possible. But let us not be surprised when we speak the truth, even in love, our closest acquaintances will be for war. Matthew 10:16-28. -Greg Elmquist
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When Abraham returned from delivering his nephew Lot, the king of Sodom offered Abraham the spoils. But Abraham would take nothing lest the king should say, “I have made Abram rich.” Abraham had the Shield and Reward of faith. “After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward” (Genesis 15: 1). -Clay Curtis
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I was glad when they said unto me,
Let us go into the house of the LORD. -Psalm 122:1
I was glad that I had a desire to go, that I had the strength to go, that I understood the words spoken there, that I loved the people assembled there, that I, the chief of sinners, should be permitted to come into his presence. -Henry Mahan