Hymn of the Day
(tune: "Majestic Sweetness" p. 52)
Now may the Lord reveal His face,
And teach our stamm'ring tongues
To make His sovereign, reigning grace,
The subject of our songs. (2X)
No sweeter subject can invite, A sinner's heart to sing,
Or more display the glorious right
Of our exalted King. (2X)
Grace reigns to pardon crimson sins,
To melt the hardest hearts;
And from the work it once begins,
It never once departs. (2X)
'Twas grace that called our souls at first,
By grace thus far we're come;
And grace will help us through the worst,
And lead us safely home. (2X)
Today’s Hymns
Come, Ye Sinners – vv. 1-4 cb20 - Come, Ye Sinners vv.4-6 cb20
My Hope Is in the Lord cb5
Special Dates:
Ann Vlastuin – 28 ~ Shaina Hoogendoorn - 30
Barney Drenth – 4 ~ Jason Scholten – 6
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Whenever worship attendance is sparse, almost always, someone makes the comment, “Everybody is here that is supposed to be.” I know that is true. God always works everything after the counsel of His own will, and He makes no mistakes. (Ephesians 1:11) However, we must be careful as to what we blame on God. Our Lord has prepared a great supper and has bidden sinners to come. If you don’t come, that is on you, not God. By nature, we will not come to Christ that we might have life. (John 5:40) May God be pleased to make us willing in the day of His power. (Psalms 110:3) -David Eddmenson
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How necessary, how precious, how essential is the Word of God to true believers. Those who can “make it” without the Word of God are still in the darkness of nature. They can “make it” because they are not in the battle! -Maurice Montgomery
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One of the captive followers of the Duke of Monmouth was brought before James the Second. "You know it is in my power," said the king, "to pardon you." "Yes," said the man, who well knew his cruel character, "but it is not in your nature." However unwise this answer was, its truth was soon seen. Happily, we know that God has not only the power but the disposition to show mercy. "Also, unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy." -C.H. Spurgeon
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Oh, how I thank God for faithful believers who have learned the gospel of Christ and have not moved from THAT place or from THIS place; but, by their loyalty to Christ and to His Word, have helped to establish a testimony of truth which is used of God in many places. -Henry Mahan
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In vain do we claim to be saved if the world still rules our heart. Divine grace not only delivers from the wrath to come, but even now effectually “teaches” its recipients to deny “all ungodliness and worldly lust, that we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world” (Titus 2:12). Our Lord says, “Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” That is, to turn away from all that stands in competition (for our affections) with the Lord Jesus, he cannot become a Christian. -Scott Richardson
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How handsome you are, my love! O, how charming!
-Song of Songs 1.16
We believe a doctrine called “The Perseverance of the Saints,” but the way it is titled implies some virtue on the part of the saints. But this doctrine is not about the virtue or power of the saints, it is about the irresistible attractiveness of the Lord Jesus. They cannot fall away from Him for they cannot resist the attraction of His beauty. -Joe
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Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness:
Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress;
Have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
~Psalm 4:1
If God’s Spirit has stripped you of your own righteousness, He has not stripped you in order to leave you naked, but will clothe you with change of raiment (Zechariah 3:4). He will give you a Robe for your rags; the Righteousness of God for the rotten righteousness of man. Rotten indeed, we shall find it, if we make it a pillar of confidence. I will say of it, as Dr. Young says of the world, “Lean not upon it;” (Proverbs 3:5) lean not on your own righteousness; if leaned upon, “’Twill pierce you to the heart. At best, a broken reed; but oft, a spear. On “it’s sharp point, peace bleeds and hope expires.”
Self-reliance is the very bond of unbelief. ’Tis essential infidelity, and one of its most deadly branches. You are an infidel, if you trust in your own [filthy rag] righteousness. You a Christian? You a Churchman? No: you have, in the sight of God, neither part nor lot in the matter. You are spiritually dead, while you pretend to live. ‘Till you are indued with faith in Christ’s righteousness, your body…is no better than “the living coffin of a dead soul.” A Christian is a believer (not in himself, but) in Christ. And what is the language of a believer? “Lord, I am, in myself, a poor, ruined, undone sinner. Through the Hand of thy good Spirit upon me, I throw myself at the foot of Thy cross; and look to Thee for blood to—wash me, for righteousness to justify me, for grace to make me holy, for comfort to make me happy, and for strength to keep me in Thy ways. -Augustus Toplady