Blessed are those who give without remembering and receive without forgetting.

Gift by grace

Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord GOD. - Ezekiel 14:14

Noah was said to be a just man and perfect in his generation (Genesis 6:9). When the rulers desired to find fault with Daniel concerning the kingdom, they could find none occasion nor fault for he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him (Daniel 6:4). Job is described as perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil (Job 1:1). These were spiritual giants of their time. But all their righteousness could only deliver but their own souls when faced with God's righteous wrath upon the sin of the people. For the Lord says elsewhere that all our righteousness are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6).

There is yet one Person who stands out above all. Paul says to the Romans that by the righteousness of this Person, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. By the obedience of this Person, shall many be made righteous (Romans 5:18-19). Noah, Daniel and Job could barely save themselves by their own righteousness. The Lord Jesus Christ saves ALL by His righteousness. If only I would accept that free gift!

Come unto Him

David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. - 1 Sam 22:1-2

David reminds me of the Lord Jesus in this account.

So many of us would be able to relate to the one in distress. Our hearts rage a war as the good that we want to do, we do not, but the evil that we do not want to do, we keep on doing. All of us should be able to relate to the one in debt. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death and since we're all sinful then we owe the payment for our sin. We'll need to clear the debt of death that we owe. Again many of us could relate to the one that was discontented or, more accurately, bitter in soul. Bitter and callous from the harsh environment of this world. Sore and wounded from the treatment of the people of this world. These verses call out to all.

Note the action! They gathered themselves unto him. The Lord Jesus calls us to come unto Him...and He will give us rest. Whether in distress, or in debt, or even in bitterness, we are to gather ourselves unto Christ. We look to Him for comfort and victory from distress, for redemption from our debt and for sweetness to our souls.

Now note the reaction! It was an all gracious response. All these gathered themselves unto David in their present condition no matter how bad it was. He doesn't turn them away nor refuse their gathering unto him. The Lord Jesus receives wretched, sinful, unworthy men and women. Oh what grace! He does not reject us as we come to Him. We are accepted in Him who is the Beloved.

Now note the result! He became a captain over them. As we understand the grace that the Lord has bestowed upon us then there can be no lower response than Him becoming Lord over us all!

Is it because...?

Is it because the sea is calm that waves are uninspired reaching shore?
Is it because the wind is hushed that the whistling is dulled to a bore?
Is it because the path is smooth that rocks stimulate no more?
Is it because the storm is stilled that rain falls as if a chore?

Nay, it cannot be!
For the sea billows still restlessly roll,
the wind still piercingly howls,
the path with jaggedness strewn,
the storm with ease doth take it's toll.

Unworthy

Unworthy was I,
His love I denied.
Yet "Father forgive,"
Were the words that He cried,
As He hung in my place;
And bore all the pain;
For my sins He suffered,
For me He was slain.

Unworthy was I,
Yet he stooped so low;
Yes, for me He came
To this world below,
From the throne of a King
At the Father's right hand
To the Cross of a felon,
His life in demand.

His brow cruelly beaten,
A spear pierced His side,
In love he extended His arms
When He died.
And in that embrace
My comfort shall be,
For God looked at Him
And then pardoned me!

Still unworthy am I
As I live day by day,
Unconcerned by His claims,
Of His will for my way.
But although I am weak,
And my faith is oft dim,
Unworthy through self,
I'm found worthy through Him.

Beth Peppler

Life Means So Much

Everyday is a bank account
And time is our currency
So no one’s rich, nobody’s poor
We get twenty-four hours each
So how are you gonna spend
Will you invest or squander
Try to get ahead
Or help someone who’s under?

Chris Rice

Sinner, dost thou care?

The hearts of the saints
Are moved for thee;
O sinner, dost thou care?
And oft and again thy very name
Is breathed to God in prayer.

The heart of the Savior
Is moved for thee;
O sinner, dost thou hear?
As thy name He speaks, His precious cheeks
Are stained by falling tear.

Hell from beneath
Is moved for thee;
O sinner, stop and think!
If thou refuse, thy soul thou'lt lose
Thou'rt standing on the brink.

The heart of thy God
Is moved for thee;
And O, His love's been proved!
His Son He gave thy soul to save,
O sinner, art thou moved?

Bernie Payne

Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
Forgive our fev'rish ways!
Reclothe us in our rightful mind;
In purer lives Thy service find,
In deeper rev'rence, praise.

In simple trust like theirs who heard,
Beside the Syrian sea,
The gracious calling of the Lord,
Let us, like them, without a word,
Rise up and follow Thee.

O Sabbath rest by Galilee!
O calm of hills above,
Where Jesus knelt to share with Thee
The silence of eternity,
Interpreted by love!

Drop Thy still dews of quietness,
Till all our strivings cease;
Take from our souls the strain and stress,
And let our ordered lives confess
The beauty of Thy peace.

Breathe thro' the heats of our desire
Thy coolness and Thy balm;
Let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
Speak though the earthquake, wind and fire,
O still small voice of calm!

John G. Whittier

So near, so very near to God, I cannot nearer be;
For in the person of His Son, I am as near as He.
So dear, so very dear to God, more dear I cannot be,
The love wherewith He loves the Son: such is His love to me.

C. Paget

The Will of God

Laid on Thine altar, O my Lord Divine,
Accept my gift this day, for Jesus' sake;
I have no jewels to adorn Thy shrine,
Nor any world-famed sacrifice to make:
But here I bring within my trembling hands
This will of mine, a thing that seemeth small,
Yet Thou alone, O Lord, canst understand
How when I yield Thee this, I yield Thee all.

Hidden therein, Thy searching gaze can see
Struggles of passion, visions of delight,
All that I have, or fain would be,
Deep loves, fond hopes, and longings infinite:
It hath been wet with tears, and dimmed with sighs,
Clenched in my grasp, till beauty hath it none:
Now from Thy footstool, where it vanquished lies,
The prayer ascendeth, "May Thy will be done."

Take it, O Father, ere my courage fail,
And merge it so with Thine own, that e'en
If in some desperate hour my cries prevail,
And Thou give back my gift, it may have been
So changed, so purified, so fair have grown,
So one with Thee, so filled with love divine,
I may not know or feel it as my own,
But gaining back my will, may find it Thine.

(found among the papers of an African missionary after his death)

Oh, spirit o'erwhelmed by thy failures and fears,
Look up to thy Lord, tho' with trembling and tears;
Weak faith, to thy call seem the heav'ns only dumb?
To thee is the message, "Hold fast till I come."

Hold fast when the world would allure thee to sin;
Hold fast when the tempter assails from within;
In sunshine or sadness, in gain or in loss,
to falter were madness, oh, cling to the cross.

Thy Savior is coming in tenderest love,
To make up His jewels and bear them above;
Oh, child, in things anguish, despairing or dumb,
Remember the message, "Hold fast till I come."

Mrs E. W. Griswold (Paulina) - 1876

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/h/o/l/holdftic.htm

For All the Morrows

Has the year brought sadness?
Joy is yet in store.
Has it given gladness?
Next year giveth more.
Let your Father measure
All your pain and care,
Let Him weigh the burden
That your heart must bear,
Sending light or shadow
As He deemeth best,
For in His sure wisdom
You can safely rest.
Peace for all the morrows,
Strength for all the days,
These shall be your portion
Through the New Year's ways.

Annie Johnson Flint

BLESSED NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

Full of years

Help me to train my heart each day,
That it will only sweetness hold;
And as the days and years roll on,
May I keep sweet, as I grow old.

Author unknown