Hymn for the Day: "And Can It Be That I Should Gain?"

And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's blood?
Died he for me, who caused him pain, for me who him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be that thou my God shouldst die for me?

He left his Father's throne above, so free, so infinite his grace;
Emptied himself of all but love, and bled and died for Adam's helpless race!
'Tis mercy all, immense and free! For oh, my God, it found out me!

No condemnation now I dread, Jesus and all in him is mine!
Alive in him my living head, and clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach the eternal throne and claim the crown through Christ my own.

Long my imprisoned spirit lay, fast bound in sin and nature's night.
Thaine eye diffused a quick'ning ray, I woke the dungeon flamed with light,
My chains fell off; my heart was free; I rose went forth and followed thee.

This is one of my very favorite old hymns. The first verse expresses well my own thoughts as I stand in awe that I, even I, have been bought by the Savior. The last line in the next verse always brings tears to my eyes as I realize afresh how important grace is to this undeserving disciple! The third so beautifully describes the relief spoken of in today's scripture and our freedom from condemnation. The fourth is a perfect description of how I remember feeling when I finally got the message that I will never earn my salvation and never need to get caught up again in the struggle to do enough, to be good enough to be saved. I remember walking down a street in Raleigh, North Carolina, realizing that I was smiling, and knowing that the smile came from the fact that I was finally free! My chains had fallen off.

Charles Wesley wrote this hymn in 1738. Its words must be universal, for they are surely my testimony of new faith and life in Christ. Miraculously, the words always remain fresh to me!

Today's Scripture: "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Romans 8:1

I believe that I was saved when I was about sixteen. It was a Sunday morning, and I was mad at my mother. She didn't go to church, but she made me go. In fact, she drove me to the church and told me to go in. I waited until she was gone, and walked across the street to another church, in a sort of final act of rebellion. She meant for me to go to my own church, but I went to another in an "I'll-show-you" attitude. Dr. C. Greer Davis was preaching on the Apostle's Creed, and I remember going away thinking, "I believe every word Dr. Davis said. From that point on, I tried very hard to be all that I was supposed to be, but I wasn't well taught in what the Word tells us about our position in Christ.

I mentioned above that I remembered walking down a street in Raleigh, smiling. That was about fifteen years after I heard Dr; Davis speak. That was after I had seen and heard teaching about the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers. That was after I had learned that in my own strength I could never please God. That was at the beginning of a period of incredible spiritual growth for me!

The knowledge that "there is now no condemnation" for us who believe should be the most freeing and exhilarating news any Christian ever hears. We now try because we want to please him, but if we don't succeed--even if we don't meet our own limited standards--there is "now no condemnation."
Whatever the past has held, it has passed! No condemnation! Alive in Christ! Clothed in Christ's righteousness! Free!

And so our prayer must be: "Thank you, Father, that Jesus paid it all! The past is finished and we move on toward you in this life of faith and a promised life of sight when we finally reach that place where you now abide!"

Hymn of  Today: Be Thou My Vision 

This 8th century Irish poem was translated in 1905 by Mary Mary Elizabeth Byrne, and later other scholars adjustd its rhyme and meter and set it to music. (Then Sings My Soul,  Robert Morgan, 2003) The words are a beautiful prayer, a perfect way to begin our day with our thoughts focused on the Lord. If you don't know the hymn, read them as a prayer before your thoughts run to work and weather and meals. Though the hymn is old, it is still in many hymnals, and the simple tune is worth seeking so you can add it to your hymns of joy and praise.

Be thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that thou art;
Thou my best thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, thy presence my light.

Be thou my Wisdom, and thou my true Word;
I ever with thee and thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, and I thy true son,
Thou in my dwelling, and I with thee one.

Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise;
Thou mine inheritance, now and always;
Thou and thou only, first in my heart,
High King of heaven my treasure thou art.

High King of heaven, my victory won,
May I reach heaven's joys, O  bright heaven's Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

Scripture for Today: Luke 8:22-25

Now It came about on one of those days, that he and his disciples got into a boat, and he said to them, "Let us go over to the other side of the lake." And they launched out. But as they were sailing along he fell asleep; and a fierce gale of wind descended upon the lake, and they began to be swamped and to be in danger. And they came to him and woke him up, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And  being aroused, he rebuked the wind and the surging waves, and they stopped, and it  became calm. And he said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?"

Lovely picture of Jesus in this passage. Let's see what we can find.

First of all we have a picture of how absolutely human Jesus was. The passage comes from a busy chapter. Jesus is going from town to town: healing the sick, delivering those possessed of demons, teaching, being pushed and shoved by crowds who wanted to get close to him, to touch him. He saw a boat at the edge of the lake (some translations call this a sea), so he said, "Let's go over to the other shore." He needed to get away!

I've been to that place, and we took a boat across, just as Jesus did. I remember that the little sea is tucked in a basin-like area, and I was told that when the winds sweep down from the mountains the waters become very rough. Jesus had had a busy day. He found a good spot on the baot and curled up for a nap. The wind and the rain didn't bother him a bit. He was tired and  went sound asleep! How human!

The storm got so bad that the disciples, though many of them were fishermen and accustomed to the water, were frightened. So they woke Jesus! The man woke and immediately acted in his God-nature, speaking to the wind and rain he had created and telling them to behave! And they did! Of course!

We see, in retrospect, both sides of our Savior Jesus and both sides of the disciples. Jesus needed rest, so the man took a nap; his friends needed help, so their God woke and calmed the storm. The disciples knew he could do most anything, so they woke him; they still didn't really know who he was, so they were surprised by his actions.

I see his disciples today--ME--US--responding to storms in the same way those twelve did 2000 years ago. A storm comes, we panic and call him! He comes and acts. We're surprised! We may take some consolation that we are just like the twelve. I prefer to pause and listen to his question. "Where is your faith?" Having done mighty things in our lives, have we not learned anything?

So my prayer for us today is this: Lord, help us remember exactly who you are when we call to you--our friend who was once a man and our God who has now returned to his powerful place. Teach us to expect you to act when we call on you in the midst of our storms. Give us the faith to trust you absolutely, in all kinds of life's storms.

About the Author

For almost 50 years, I have been a persistent student. I did my university study later in life than most. I have an undergraduate major in  English, and I  studied with the finest professors I could find on our campus-- in English, American, and World literature, and linguistics. My undergraduate minor was Biblical studies,where I sought professors of excellence whose teaching was based on personal identification with Christ and strong Biblically orthodox theology. I did my Master's Degree in English with a focus on second language learning because I perceived opportunities to teach English as a ministry to international students in this country and possibly abroad.

I have traveled on five continents, lived on four, and taught on three. God has taught me in a personal way how precious are all the people of his world. I have served on the staffs of two churches as Minister of Education. In and out of the church I have met people who struggle with hurts, habits and hang-ups--sometimes because of what others have done to them and sometimes because of what they have done to themselves.

While working with a Gideon Auxiliary, I regularly met with girls and women who were incarcerated, and I longed for opportunity to meet them outside the confines of jail cells. When I moved back to Kentucky, I found Celebrate Recovery (CR), a para-church program and a safe place for people who are physically, mentally, and emotionally bruised to learn that the loving Creator of the Universe knows their hurts and is waiting to free them for a life of forgiveness, purpose, and peace.

About this Website

I plan to write to hurting people, praying that they find relief from pain, suffering, disappointment, loneliness, hopelessness, rejection, insecurities, hurts, habits, hangups, addictions, and just general needs as they regularly go with me into the Scriptures--words written for our instruction and for hope (Romans 15:3). My prayer is that some will come to know the comfort only found in a personal relationship Jesus Christ. He knows us. He'll meet us where we are. He promised.

I hope to write often--daily is my goal but I know how difficult that will be--about a Scripture and a hymn or praise song. I truly believe that God continues to speak to us through his Word, and I want to share some things I've learned with any who chose to join me on an amazing journey of faith, receiving forgiveness from the God of the universe through his son, Jesus Christ and thereby learning to forgive ourselves and others. Fifty years have taught me that the Christian journey is difficult but at the same time it is a powerful, rewarding journey into peace of body, mind, and spirit.

Dedication

I dedicate each written word

• to the Lord who found me almost 50 years ago--lonely, frightened, and insecure--and has never left me.
• to all who long to know the life-changing love of Jesus Christ.

Hymn of the Day

Here I Am, Lord

I, the Lord of sea and sky,

I have heard my people cry. 

All who dwell in dark and sin

My hand will save,

I, who made the stars of night;
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear my light to them?
Whom shall I send?

Refrain
Here I am, Lord. Is it I, Lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go, Lord, if you lead me.
I will hold your people in my heart.

I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have borne my people's pain,
I have wept for love of them.
They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone,
Give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak my word to them.
Whom shall I send?

Refrain

I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will tend the poor and lame,
I will set a feast for them.
My hand will save.
Finest bread I will provide
Till  their hearts are satisfied.
I will give my life for them,
Whom shall I send?

Refrain



Though I don't play an instrument or sing for anyone but the Lord and myself, I love music. It ministers to my soul in a depth I can barely put into words. It also speaks to me words of urging as I continue my life of learning and serving. This relatively new hymn, written by Dan Schutte in 1981, based on Isaiah 6:8, is one of my favorites. (The tune is simple, and you may find it in most Methodist hymnals and probably on line.) Schutte's words often run through my head as the Lord speaks to me about some ministry. I think Schutte captures well  God's tenderness as he speaks of his love for all he has made and his pain and disappointment that we have not responded to his longing for us. And I am challenged by the refrain, a servant's  response of obedience to the voice
 of his Lord.

This hymn, especially the little refrain, has  become increasingly important to me as I read and study. Over and over I hear myself singing it to the Lord as I am challenged by what I see and hear. I sing the words in obedience, but I also recognize their challenge and remind myself, "Don't sing this if you don't mean it. Going almost always requires more than you first imagine."

I need not fear, however. Years ago, I read in the Gospel of John, "I no longer call you servant; I call you friend." And I no longer answer as a servant; he is my Friend. Since a friend does what a Friend asks, I am learning obedience. Thus, with only slight trepidation, I chose a line from this chorus to serve as the title for the blog I now take up again to communicate to friends


Scripture for Today

Luke 2:52

And Jesus grew in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man.

For years I had an "unbiblical" picture of Jesus. I recognized his diety, but I failed to recognize his humanity. Because of that, my relationship to and with him was stunted. I now understand more that he came to earth, limited only by human flesh. He did not move supernaturally but had to walk from place to place. He ate, slept, and functioned in a 24-hour day. Yes, he was God, but in flesh! He had to grow up, mentally, physically, socially and spiritually! Can that be possible? According to Luke's verse above, yes? He's been where we are; he understands! Amazing!

The physical part is no problem for our limited minds. He came as a baby,  but the "gentle Jesus, meek and mild" that we see in the manger is only the beginning. He didn't stay there. He grew and as he grew he faced every thing we face, every temptation, every challenge, every emotional hurt, every pain of rejection. When he says to us, "I understand," it's a statement of absolute truth. He does understand! From experience!

The wisdom part of his growth is a little more difficult to grasp. Jesus, who actually inspired the Scriptures we read, had to learn them! He wasn't born into that tiny form with a head full of words. He was born a normal baby of flesh who had to learn to speak and then to read and then to understand what he'd read. He learned and recognized his Father's Word even as we do. Only he recognized his Father's voice immediately and responded in obedience--immediately.

The spiritual side of his growth require some serious mental exercise. He "grew in favor with God." Can that be true? Didn't God love him from the beginning? How could he grow and become even more accepted? When we get into serious study of God's word, we discover the answers. He "grew in favor" as he was always and in all situations obedient to what God asked! The Scripture says he "learned obedience" and that learning and response continued all the way to the dreaded cross!

Recognizing the social side of his growth will hurt. He grew in "favor with man" even as he endured our stubbornness, our rejection, our self-centeredness, and failure to recognize his Father's great love for us. He loved us so absolutely that he refused to allow our reluctance to hinder him, to deter him on his journey to rescue us from the sin that separated us from his Father. Yes, he learned as a man that God loved us so much he sent him [Jesus] to save us. But there's a little verse in John's Gospel that we often miss. As the day of Jesus' crucifixion drew near, he told his disciples that he wold die to save a world his Father loved, and his obedience would show the world how completely he [Jesus] loved his Father (John 14:30).

The little verse above from Luke 2 is a model for us. We need to continue to grow "in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with God and man," This isn't and never will be an easy task, but as we learn more and more how to accomplish this--with God's help, of course--we'll find that past hurts and habits fade into insignificance. We begin and will continue to find a peace and wholeness that was intended for us at our creation.

And so my prayer for myself and all who read this blog is this: Grant, Lord, that we will hear your longing for us, that as Jesus did, we will learn obedience as we mature in wisdom, in stature, and in favor with You and with men.

Shattered

The ordeal of packing and moving things continued for two days. I packed. They moved. Orderly. Uneventful. Then the quiet apology came. "That table with the marble top? The marble broke as we were putting it down in the car."

I felt a twinge in my heart. I have several marble-topped pieces, and each has its own sentimental value, each given by or inherited from a special person. Whichever one, some memory was just shattered.

But the men had been so careful, so meticulous as they worked, and I could not be angry about this accident. I assured them that the marble was just a "thing" and that we would not allow ourselves to fret over a broken thing. So we continued with our work, but as I continued wrapping and packing, my thoughts went back to the broken marble. Broken is broken! No repair restores broken marble. It was gone.

And that's when God began to talk to me. In fact, that is usually when he talks to me most clearly--when I am contemplating something. He has a way of turning my thoughts to something that at first seems totally irrelevant. This time I remembered a t-shirt a friend had been wearing--one of those t-shirts with a message: "Justified! Just as if I never had!" My thoughts moved from the marble to the message, and I began to thank God for the incredible fact that his work in my life through Christ actually allows me to stand before him "justified," sinless through the finished work of Jesus! Sins taken away and buried in the deepest sea! Forgotten because Christ bore them for me on Calvary. Suddenly tears of joy began to fill my eyes! How wonderful to be so sure of my Lord's absolutely perfect work for me and of my position before Almighty God!

But how did I get from broken marble to praising God? Then he showed me. The table would never be the same. Broken is broken! That's the way of "things." And that is also the way of human life. Sometimes life gets broken, too. Sometimes it seems hopelessly shattered, unable to be mended, glued back together!

"Not so," said God to my heart. My friend's t-shirt was absolutely right. When Jesus mends a broken heart, a broken life, the result is just as if the break had never happened! The sin confessed, the hurt forgiven, the disobedience erased restores the life as if the infraction had never occurred! Jesus does not put broken marble back together! He does better! He puts broken lives back together--my own the perfect example!

I may not try to have the marble glued back, keeping the broken seam as a reminder that were it not for Christ's perfect finished work on that cruel, mean cross, I'd be as hopelessly broken as the table! I think I'll cherish the scared table more now than before the break!

What Tomorrow Holds

Then Job arose, shaved his head, tore his robe, and fell on the ground and worshiped. Then he said, 'Naked I came from my Mother's womb, and naked I shall return there; the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.' In all this, Job did not sin or charge God with wrongdoing." Job 1:20-22

I'm back in Florida for a very few days, doing things that I have dreaded but that I knew had to be done. Three friends from North Carolina accompanied me here to dismantle the house that has been my home for two and a half years and to move me from the place that has been my home for 22 years.

My husband and I built a house here in 1983, moved into that house in January of 1989, and were extremely happy there. No happy is not the word. We were more than happy. We were content. We knew that God had made that wonderful place available to us, and we sat on the floor of the living room when no furniture had yet arrived and dedicated the house to him.

Then Wallace went home to be with the Lord in 2007. I soon realized that the house was more than I could cope with, and in a terribly flat economy when nothing was selling, I sold the house and bought another, smaller and more manageable for a woman living alone. Once again, I knew that God had made the place available to me, and my children and I sat in the new house, thanked God for it, and dedicated it to his service for my lifetime in Florida.

Well, that time is just about to end. Once again I have been very content here, and the home has been just what I needed. I have felt terribly torn as I prepared to move away, but at the same time I knew that God was doing something in my life. I really did not understand, but I was so sure that I continued to move as I thought he was directing, not having any idea what tomorrow held.

Now suddenly, I am taking apart the house that we so carefully made comfortable for me and preparing to go to a place that is not my own--owned by someone else. I have not lived in a rented house for 50 years, but now I will. I'll have to ask permission to paint or plant or change. That seems strange.

My familiar rooms no longer seem familiar because all the things that have made them mine are gone--no pictures of my Wallace or our children, no little personal things that are so much a part of my life. All gone. Packed into impersonal boxes and put into a strange looking monster sitting in my once familiar driveway.

Surely the Lord has blessed my life mightily. Surely he has provided more than generously for many years. Now, just as surely, he is taking me into another tomorrow that I do not know, that I did not plan, that is very unfamiliar, that would never have entered my mind had I been planning my own life, and that scares me more than just a little.

I actually have some very wierd thoughts. If Wallace tried to find me, he couldn't. What if I can't accomplish in the new church what they want me to do? What if I only imagine that my ideas tried and tested here will work there? What if I blow it? Where will I go? What will I do? Dumb, huh? There just the same.

Last evening, after a day of packing and labeling boxes, I climbed once more into my familiar bed--possibly for the last time in this place--and quickly fell into a deep and restful sleep. This morning about 5:30, the Lord woke me with the verses above. I lay here and thought about them for awhile. How like him to remind me that he is Lord and I am his!

The Lord has given and now the Lord is taking away, and I will praise him! I don't know where we are going, but how wonderful to know that we are going together! I don't know if I will succeed or fail, but whatever is there, I know he will use for good. I feel so sad about leaving some friends whom I love so dearly, but I know that more friends are out there for me to meet and love.

I have thought many times about Job and his terrible troubles. But one thing seemed most important to me in that story. Satan told God that Job was only faithful because his life was so full and good. But God knew Job's heart. He knew that no matter what, Job would praise his God. And Job proved God's faith in him to be justified. I have said to God more than once that I would like to be such a Christian. That I would like to be the person whom he would know would always be faithful!

Well, I have not endured the misery that Job endured, and I am grateful for that. I do know, however, that God has given me much, and now he is taking some of that away. And that's okay. I shall drive away from here soon with all my life's accumulation of things on a truck in front of me, going to a very different new phase of my life. But I go knowing who my God is and where I place my loyalty! And as I go, I can only imagine what tomorrow holds.

Even as I write these words, another verse pops into my head. "Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, nor has it entered into the mind of man the wonderful things that God has prepared for those who love him."

Exciting to contemplate.

Deceember 26, 2919

Simeon took [Jesus] in his arms and praised God, saying, "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel." Luke 2:38

Simeon and Anna waited patiently for they were not sure what, but willingly waited because God had promised to send a Messiah, and they knew he keeps his promises! When they saw the eight-day-old infant, the Spirit of God revealed to each that their wait was over. And old Simeon, a devout man, became a poet, praising God with words that Michael Card has set to music.

Simeon says he is now ready to die, and Anna goes on to tell all "who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem" that she had seen the Messiah.

What about us? Will we sigh that the holiday is finally over, or will we go out to proclaim to all that Christ, the promised Savior has been born? Will we joyfully tell them that just as he kept his first promise, he will keep the second? He is coming again. We know for sure. He promised.

Father, make us as sure of your promises as were Anna and Simeon, and then help us speak what we believe! Amen.

December 25, 2010

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests. " Luke 2:13

God is just amazing! The Bible teaches us that in the councils of the ages, God planned to send Jesus to earth to rescue man, this marvelous creature whom he'd made and with whom he'd been pleased at his creation. The man had "goofed" badly, and seldom had done as he was instructed--for 2000 years. Yet God has a plan to redeem his creature, and he sends his Son--who willingly goes--to the planet where all the rebellious creatures live. And he does all this knowing that his Son is going to be horribly mistreated and sacrificed! And all because God loves his creatures.

We believe this, but we'll never understnd it!

And when the day comes for the baby go be born, God's angels have a huge celebration and fill he world with songs of praise to a loving God who would bring such a plan go pass!

God makes a plan in which he knows he is going to suffer hell, and his own angels sing glory to his name! Today we join the angels because we know this baby and the peace the angels sang about, the peace the world does not understand.

Father, your thoughts are indeed higher than ours, and in faith we receive your beautiful Christmas gift. Amen.