Loving God with Our Minds

God made our minds to love Him. We do this by first coming to the cross of Christ for salvation, where, as the hymn says, "sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains." We love God with our minds by being renewed through His Word and thinking about excellent, lovely, wholesome things. Did you know that when you study birds (ornithology), bugs (entomology), words (etymology), the human body (anatomy), and just about any "-ology" you can think of, you are loving Him? "The works of the Lord are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them," wrote the psalmist. We love God with our mind when we admire smoothness, strangeness, structure, inticacy, fragrance, complexion, motion. "Glory be to God for dappled things," exclaimed the poet-priest Gerard Manley Hopkins. - Suzanne U. Rhodes, The Roar on the Other Side

Rock of Ages

Exodus 33:18-22: Moses said, "Please show me your glory."

And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name, 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live."

And the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by."

Rock of Ages

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in the Thee;

Let the water and the blood,

From Thy wounded side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure;

Save from wrath and make me pure.

Not the labors of my hands

Can fulfill Thy law's commands;

Could my zeal no respite know,

Could my tears forever flow,

All for sin could not atone;

Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,

Simply to the cross I cling;

Naked, come to Thee for dress;

Helpless, look to Thee for grace;

Foul, I to the fountain fly;

Wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeing breath,

When mine eyes shall close in death,

When I soar to worlds unknown,

See Thee on Thy judgement throne,

Rock of Ages, cleft for me,

Let me hide myself in Thee.

*pictures from our heavenly, all-too-short winter holiday in Alabama*

A Mighty Fortress is Our God

This hymn written by Martin Luther truly is one of my favorites. Though we usually sing theologically deep songs at my church, I am filled with delight on the Sundays when we worship with these rich age-old hymns.

A mighty fortress is our God,

A bulwark never failing;

Our helper he, amid the flood

Of mortal ills prevailing:

For still our ancient foe

Doth seek to work us woe;

His craft and pow'r are great

And, armed with cruel hate,

On earth is not his equal.

Did we in our own strength confide,

Our striving would be losing;

Were not the right Man on our side,

The Man of God's own choosing:

Dost ask who that may be?

Christ Jesus it is he;

Lord Sabaoth, his name,

From age to age the same,

And he must win the battle.

And tho this world, with devils filled,

Should threaten to undo us,

We will not fear, for God hath willed

His truth to triumph thro' us:

The Prince of Darkness grim,

We tremble not for him;

His rage we can endure,

For lo, his doom is sure,

On little word shall fell him.

That word above all earthly pow'rs,

No thanks to them, abideth;

The Spirit and the gifts are ours

Thro' him who with us sideth:

Let goods and kindred go,

This mortal life also;

The body they may kill:

God's truth abideth still,

His kingdom is forever.

Luther on Music

I truly desire that all Christians would love and regard as worthy the lovely gift of music, which is a precious, worthy, and costly treasure given to mankind by God.

Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world. It controls our thoughts, minds, hearts, and spirits.

The precious gift has been given to man alone that he might thereby remind himself that God has created man for the express purpose of praising and extolling God.

I found these quotes of Martin Luther's interesting recently. The mysteries of music intruige me greatly. It's amazing how music speaks to us as human beings. A song carries memories, provokes emotions, fixes thoughts. Some of my darkest moments have been lightened by a song that comes to mind. I have memorized so much Scripture because it was put to song. Fascinating . . .

Of course, I love how Luther sums up his point. A bit, uh, passionate?

A person who gives this some thought and yet does not regard music as a marvelous creation of God, must be a clodhopper indeed and does not deserve to be called a human being; he should be permitted to hear nothing but the braying of asses and the grunting of hogs.

Well, that's that settled.

Trust

"Lord, help me to remember that You are in control of every circumstance, no matter how large or small. Sometimes I am tempted to think that You have forgotten me. But to continue to believe that, I would have to believe a lie, because Your Word says that You will never leave me nor forsake me. Reveal the hidden areas of my heart where I have not trusted You or my parents. Replace my rebellious heart with one that is obedient, tender, and teachable. Amen."

-Stacey McDonald, Raising Maidens of Virtue

While perusing one of my favorite books ever, I came across the prayer that begins this specific chapter. I love the way my sovereign God works things out. The whole chapter focused on the importance of daughters trusting in their earthly fathers thereby glorifying and obeying their Heavenly Father. It completely convicted me of my lack of complete trust in the Heavenly Father with all areas of my life. Sometimes I'm just positive that I know what is better for me than God does. . . right. . . . Sound familiar, Rudy?

I'm reminded of a oft heard refrain:

Trust and obey, for there's no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Our Hymn of Praise II

Picking Bluebells, Ernest Walbourn

"For the beauty of each hour,

Of the day and of the night,

Hill and vale, and tree and flower,

Sun and moon, and stars of light.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,

This our hymn of grateful praise."

Our Hymn of Praise

John Appleton Brown, Sheep Grazing Under Apple Blossoms

"For the beauty of the earth

For the glory of the skies,

For the love which from our birth

Over and around us lies.

Lord of all, to Thee we raise,

This our hymn of grateful praise."

Keep looking for more posts like this!

Continual Praise

"So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name." Hebrews 13:12-15

Indeed, let us praise and worship our God out of thankfulness for the ultimate sacrifice. How grateful I am that this need not be my lasting home, but I shall spend eternity in a holy, sinless place. Eternity truly will not be long enough to thank him and praise him for his glorious grace! Enjoy this, one of my favorite hymns. Happy Sabbath!

"Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!

Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God,

Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long;

This is my story, this is my song,

Praising my Savior all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,

Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;

Angels descending bring form above

Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Perfect submission, all is at rest;

I in my Savior am happy and blest,

Watching and waiting, looking above,

Filled with his goodness, lost in His love."

-Blessed Assurance, Frances Crosby

Come Thou Fount

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

Sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the Name! I'm fixed upon it,

Name of Thy redeeming love.

Hither to Thy love has blessed me,

Thou hast brought me to this place.

And I know Thy hand will lead me

Safely home by Thy good grace.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

Wandering from the fold of God;

He, to rescue me from danger,

Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I'm constrained to be!

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here's my heart, O take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning,

I shall see Thy lovely face;

Full arrayed in blood washed linen

How I'll sing Thy sovereign grace;

Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,

Bring thy promises to pass,

For I know Thy hand will lead me

Till I'm home with Thee at last.

Happy Sabbath to ya'll!

Before the Throne

I know that my last post was a hymn, but I love them so much, that I can't just skip over one! I had never listened hard to this one. This morning, though, as I was tearing wallpaper off our kitchen walls (fun, fun!) it came on my iPod. The words are so encouraging and inspiring!

Before the Throne of God Above

Before the throne of God above

I have a strong, a perfect plea:

A great High Priest, whose name is Love,

Who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on His hands,

My name is written on His heart;

I know that while in Heaven He stands

No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair,

And tells me of the guilt within,

Upward I look, and see Him there

Who made an end of all my sin.

Because the sinless Saviour died,

My sinful soul is counted free;

For God the just is satisfied

To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there, the risen Lamb

My perfect, spotless righteousness,

The great unchangeable I AM,

The King of glory and of grace!

One with Himself, I cannot die

My soul is purchased by His blood

My life is hid with Christ on high,

With Christ, my Saviour and my God!

-Charitie Lees Bancroft, 1863

'Tis Not That I Did Choose Thee

In honor of my one hundredth blog post, I thought I'd share a hymn I have recently happened upon and fallen in love with! What truths are so beautifully stated in this hymn! The Scriptures that correlate to the lyrics I found on The Hymnary.

'Tis Not That I Did Choose Thee

My Lord, I did not choose You,

For that could never be;

My heart would still refuse You,

Had You not chosen me.

You took the sin that stained me,

You cleansed me, made me new;

Of old You have ordained me,

That I should live in You.

Unless Your grace had called me

And taught my opening mind,

The world would have enthralled me,

To heavenly glories blind.

My heart knows none above You;

For Your rich grace I thirst;

I know that if I love You,

You must have loved me first.

-Josiah Conder, 1836

John 15:16 "You did not choose me, but I chose you..."

Romans 3:10-11 "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God."

Romans 5:10 "For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life."

2 Corinthians 5:17 "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come."

Romans 8:29 "For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son..."

2 Timothy 1:9 "...who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began..."

I Corinthians 2:14 "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."

1 John 4:9 "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him."

In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand!

I LOVE this song! The lyrics are amazing -- so many rich truths can be found in here. I also love how much it feels like and sounds like a hymn! So lovely!

Jesus Paid it All!

I hear the Savior say,

"They strength in deed is small;

Child of weakness, watch and pray,

Find in Me thine all in all."

Jesus paid it all,

All to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain,

He washed it white as snow.

For nothing good have I 

Whereby Thy grace to claim,

I'll wash my garments white 

In the blood of Calv'ry's Lamb.

Refrain

And now complete in Him 

My robe His righteousness,

Close sheltered 'neath His side,

I am divinely blest.

Refrain

Lord, now indeed I find 

Thy power and Thine alone,

Can change the leper's spots

And melt the heart of stone.

Refrain

How glad I am that Jesus did pay it all!

Take My Life and Let It Be

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, it shall be ever, only, all for Thee.

-Frances R. Havergal

This song has been on my mind lately. May I always have an attitude that is willing to commit all of myself to the Lord's service. He is worthy to be praised!

Random Things in My Head

"Man of Sorrows! what a name
For the Son of God, Who came
Ruined sinners to reclaim.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Bearing shame and scoffing rude,
In my place condemned He stood;
Sealed my pardon with His blood.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Guilty, vile, and helpless we;
Spotless Lamb of God was He;
Full atonement can it be?
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Lifted up was He to die;
"It is finished!" was His cry;
Now in heaven exalted high.
Hallelujah! What a Savior!

When He comes, our glorious King,
All His ransomed home to bring,
Then anew His song we'll sing:
Hallelujah! What a Savior!"

-Man of Sorrows

"O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh longs for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your poser and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you." Psalm 63:1-3

Depth of Mercy, Can There Be?

Depth of mercy! Can there be
Mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God your wrath forbear
Me, the chief of sinners, spare?

Chorus:
It's my only hope,
You're my only hope,
It's my only hope of Heaven,
At the cross forgiven!

I have long withstood your grace,
Long provoked you to your face,
Would not harken to your calls,
Grieved you by a thousand falls.

Chorus

There for me the Savior stands,
Shows his wounds and spreads His hands.
Face to face before the Son,
And like Isaiah I'm undone!

Chorus

Depth of mercy, vast and free
So much deeper than the sea,
God of love, you heard my cry
Now into your open arms I fly!

We sang this modern rendition of the hymn, Depth of Mercy, by Charles Wesley. While the modern version and chorus are beautiful, to get the full effect of the song one must read all the verses. Go to this site to read a short, but powerful story about the hymn and to read all of the verses.

God has been reminding me of just how much grace has been shown to me. God chose me! How amazing is his grace! He chose me out of many. Why me? I, the chief of sinners, did nothing to deserve it! Only by his grace am I saved!

Thank you, Lord. I am speechless. There are no words to describe such gratefulness and joy as I have welled up in my heart. All I can say is thank you.

Great is Thy Faithfulness!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Great is Thy faithfulness!

Morning by morning new mercies I see.

All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

I was reading Psalm 142 this morning and I was struck by verse 7. "The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me." I found great comfort in those verses. God IS a faithful God; He will not forsake us! He has been faithful before and will be faithful again and again! Read verse 3 of the hymn:

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;

Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,

Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!