T7. Reflections: Aug.17

30 August 2017

Who Trusts in God

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Words: first stanza by Joachim Magdeburg (circa 1525-1587); last two stanzas by an unknown author
Music: Bishopgarth (also called Victoria), by Arthur Seymour Sullivan (b. May 13, 1842; d. Nov. 22, 1900)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (none)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: Martin Luther is identified as a leading light in the Reformation. After his time, there was an active Catholic Counter-Reformation. Facing it boldly was a strong-minded Lutheran preacher named Joachim Magdeburg. Refusing to adopt ceremonies ordered by the Augsburg Interim Act, he was driven from one town to another.

But when he lacked an earthly dwelling, he looked to the Lord as his spiritual refuge and safe retreat. He could say with David, “ In God I have put my trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?” (Ps. 56:11).

Our home, by definition, is where we live, our place of residence. Most of us have an expectation that it will provide shelter, and a measure of security. Those who live within its walls also hope it’ll be a place of mutual love and concern, and a safe haven from whatever threatens in the world outside.

That’s certainly the ideal. But the daily news, and our own experience, paint a different picture. In dry summer days, wild fires can consume almost everything in their path, including whole communities. Or spiraling tornado winds can level homes and cause streets to looked like bombed-out targets of war. Or flood waters can render buildings unlivable, and perhaps even beyond repair and restoration.

Then there are the trio of threats mentioned by Christ: moths, rust, and thieves (Matt. 6:19), both natural forces and human malice that can invade the home. Plus economic troubles that might lead a family to sell and downsize. Family conflict and abuse can also scatter family members who seek a safer and more congenial place.

It’s a bleak picture, yet there are many homes that have survived for generations and have seen families grow, with individuals moving on to form new families, all becoming part of the kind of moral and benevolent network that strengthens communities.

In our English hymns, the word home is applied in three different ways. There are songs of aspiration regarding the home and family: Happy the Home When God Is There, by Henry Ware, and A Christian Home, by Barbara Hart. And songs about the heavenly home of the saints: Home, Sweet Home, by N. B. Vandall, and Frank Smith’s The Home Beyond the River.

But it is a third application we’ll look at here. There is a real sense in which God Himself is a secure home for the believer. “The eternal God is your refuge [or dwelling place]” (Deut. 33:27). “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Prov. 18:10). It’s a picture of complete trust in God found many times in Psalms.

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1).

“Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations” (Ps. 90:1).

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust’” (Ps. 91:1-2).

“You are my hiding place” (Ps. 119:114).

During the Reformation, Martin Luther (1483-1546) gave us a hymn in that vein, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God (based on Psalm 46). For his part, Magdeburg also wrote a beautiful hymn about that. His first stanza has been preserved. The author of the rest of the hymn is unknown.

CH-1) Who trusts in God, a strong abode
In heav’n and earth possesses;
Who looks in love to Christ above,
No fear his heart oppresses.
In Thee alone, dear Lord, we own
Sweet hope and consolation;
Our shield from foes, our balm for woes,
Our great and sure salvation.

CH-2) Though Satan’s wrath beset our path,
And worldly scorn assail us;
While Thou art near we will not fear,
Thy strength shall never fail us.
Thy rod and staff, shall keep us safe,
And guide our steps forever;
Nor shades of death, nor hell beneath,
Our souls from Thee shall sever.

Questions:
1) What kinds of things are provided in our homes that have a spiritual parallel in God?

2) What are some of the spiritual dangers in the world that the Lord protects us from?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (none)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

28 August 2017

We Shall Behold Him

Robert Cottrill T7. Reflections: Aug.17

Words: Joyce Reba Luttrell (“Dottie”) Rambo (b. Mar. 2, 1934; d. May 11, 2008)
Music: Joyce Reba Luttrell (“Dottie”) Rambo

Links:
Wordwise Hymns
The Cyber Hymnal (Dottie Rambo)
Hymnary.org

Note: Dottie Rambo was an American gospel singer and songwriter. She died at the age of seventy-four, in a bus accident.

People go into hiding for a variety of reasons, some of them quite benign. Children hide, in a game of hide-and-seek. Relatives and friends hide to surprise someone with a birthday, when he arrives home. But there are more sinister reasons for concealment as well.

Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann had a major part in the murder of millions of European Jews. After the war, he fled with his family to Argentina, but he was found, captured, tried, and hung in 1962. The tyrant Saddam Hussein was found in 2003, hiding in a dirty hole in the ground, and was later tried and executed. Criminals have sought to conceal themselves in other equally unpleasant places: one reportedly in a sewer, another in a dumpster. Both were caught.

Not all seem to have a sense of guilt for the evil things they’ve done. Eichmann certainly didn’t. He said toward the end of the war that he would “leap laughing into the grave” because of the satisfying role he had in killing millions of Jews. That grotesque statement is the product of a totally debauched and reprobate mind.

But many likewise do not seem to struggle with guilt over their actions. It’s as though, as the Bible puts it, their conscience has been “seared with a hot iron” (I Tim. 4:2), and become insensitive to the wrongness of their deeds. Yet there is fear. No sense of guilt for their behaviour, but fear of getting caught, and a desire to escape the consequences.

The Bible opens and closes with two instances of people trying vainly to hide from God.

In Eden, after Adam and Eve sinned by eating fruit from a tree forbidden to them (Gen. 2:17; 3:6). With their souls awash with guilt, they felt alienated from one another, and tried to cover themselves (Gen. 3:7). Then we read this:

“They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God” (Gen. 3:8).

Sin had brought about a painful rift in their relationship with God, and they tried to hide themselves from Him.

Fast forward to the end of time, when God will pour out His judgment on this sinful world. Then, we read:

“The kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ‘Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!’” (Rev. 6:15-16).

What a difference there is for the believer who is walking in fellowship with the Lord. We look forward to seeing Him, and being with Him, either ushered into His presence through death, or when summoned into His presence at Christ’s return. Paul spoke of his own “desire to depart and be with Christ” (Phil. 1:23), and of others who “have loved His appearing” (II Tim. 4:8).

Gospel song writer Dottie Rambo was traveling by car with a friend to a revival meeting to be held in a large tent. As she drove, she watched an unusually beautiful sunset, with “colours that I had never seen in my lifetime.” She thought of the wonderful prospect of Jesus, “coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:30).

Tears filled her eyes so she could not see to drive. She asked her friend Patty to take the wheel, and she composed, in her mind, the words and music of a beautiful song about Christ’s return. It begins:

The sky shall unfold, preparing His entrance;
The stars will applaud Him with thunders of praise;
The sweet light in His eyes shall enhance those awaiting;
And we shall behold Him then, face to face.

Questions:
1) How important is the truth of Christ’s coming in the overall teachings of the local church?

2) Do you feeling this truth is being neglected today by many Christians? (If so, why?)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns
The Cyber Hymnal (Dottie Rambo)
Hymnary.org

25 August 2017

Thou Art the Way

Robert Cottrill T7. Reflections: Aug.17

Words: George Washington Doane (b. May 27, 1799; d. April ___, 1859)
Music: St. James, by Ralph (or Raphael) Courteville (b. before 1677; d. June ___, 1772)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (George Doane)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: George Washington Doane was named in honour of America’s first president, who died the year Doane was born. He became both a pastor and a college professor, and he’s known for his strong support of world missions.

The first wireless radio broadcast dates back to 1906. The experiment was followed by more complex developments until, in the early 1920’s, the regular public broadcasting of radio programs included both talk and music.

It was soon realized that words and music could be combined to sell products of various kinds. With that, the singing commercial was born. On Christmas Eve, 1926, the first of these was used by a station in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. To promote Wheaties, a breakfast cereal, a men’s quartet sang:

“Have you tried Wheaties?
They’re whole wheat with all of the bran…”

General Mills, the maker of the cereal, had considered dropping the product because of poor sales. But they reported that, as the commercial ran in the weeks following, sales increased significantly in the area reached by the radio station, and Wheaties stayed around for decades after that.

Poetry, even when it’s a trite radio jingle, paints word pictures in order to help us better feel the facts. Then, music can add an even stronger emotional element, to get our attention and prompt us to act. Appropriate and memorable music can enhance the message of the words and increase their impact.

God knew that, long before human beings discovered it. Psalms, the longest book in the Bible, is actually a hymn book. The melodies originally used by Israel in singing the songs have been lost to us, but sing them they did, often with instrumental accompaniment.

We’ve since composed our own tunes to sing some psalms. Jesse Irvine, a pastor’s daughter, in Scotland, wrote a beautiful tune for Psalm 23, in 1871. She named the tune Crimond, after the town where she lived. Her melody is still used today for The Lord’s My Shepherd.

When God’s Word is set to suitable music, it can be taught and remembered better. Colossians 3:16 says:

“Let the word of Christ [the Scriptures] dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

Our hymn books today contain many songs. When they are soundly biblical, and speak with clarity, they both enrich our praise and help the teachings of the Bible to stick in our minds. Particularly since the nineteenth century, gospel songs (likely what Colossians means by “spiritual songs”) have been used as a teaching tool. Early on, they were often called Sunday School Songs, since they were used there for that purpose.

A few examples: William Newell’s gospel song At Calvary doesn’t quote Scripture directly, but it outlines the whole work of salvation in simple terms. Ernest Sellers Thy Word Have I Hid in My Heart quotes Psalm 119:11, and Daniel Whittle’s I Know Whom I Have Believed uses Second Timothy 1:12. William MacKay’s Revive Us Again, and Anna Warner’s We Would See Jesus, make use of phrases from Psalm 85:6 and John 12:21, respectively.

In 1824, George Doane wrote a song dealing with the declaration of the Lord Jesus in John 14:6:

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

His fine song deals with each of the three terms–the way, the truth, the life–in succeeding stanzas, summing up all three in the final one.

CH-1) Thou art the way: to Thee alone
From sin and death we flee;
And he who would the Father seek
Must seek Him, Lord, by Thee.

CH-2) Thou art the truth: Thy Word alone
True wisdom can impart;
Thou only canst inform the mind,
And purify the heart.

CH-3) Thou art the life: the rending tomb
Proclaims Thy conquering arm,
And those who put their trust in Thee
Nor death nor hell shall harm.

CH-4) Thou art the way, the truth, the life;
Grant us that way to know,
That truth to keep, that life to win,
Whose joys eternal flow.

Questions:
1) What other ways to be saved or reach heaven (other than through faith in Christ) have people tried?

2) Why is Christ the only way?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (George Doane)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

23 August 2017

Speed Away

Robert Cottrill T7. Reflections: Aug.17

Words: Frances Jane (“Fanny”) Crosby (b. Mar. 24, 1820; d. Feb. 12, 1915)
Music: Isaac Baker Woodbury (b. Oct. 23, 1819; d. Oct. 26, 1858)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Fanny Crosby)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: Without much question, Fanny Crosby was the premiere gospel song writer of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. She wrote something like 8,500 songs, and quite a few of them are still popular–To God Be the Glory, Blessed Assurance, Safe in the Arms of Jesus, Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour, and many more.

Fanny was blind from the age of six months but she never let this hinder her many activities and accomplishments. She was trained, and later became a teacher at the New York City School for the Blind. There she was befriended by future president Grover Cleveland, who spent hours writing down poems she composed.

She was the first woman to speak before a joint session of the American Congress (April, 1846), and she performed at the White House for President James Polk around the same time. Interestingly, she was a distant relative of popular singer Bing Crosby. Early on, Miss Crosby wrote many secular songs and poems. She put her faith in Christ at the age of thirty. Then, from her mid-forties onward she wrote only hymns.

We could describe a fast car as speeding along. But speed is a relative thing. What is great rapidity in one case is a mind-numbing crawl in another.

A garden snail may think it’s hurrying when it travels 0.047 kilometres per hour. Human beings can go much faster. Sprint champion Usain Bolt runs short distances at about 45 kms/hr (28 miles per hour), which was often near the top speed of the earliest automobiles. Today, racing cars can travel almost ten times as fast.

But all of this is dwarfed by the speed of light. In one second it travels nearly 300,000 kilometres (186,000 miles)–which is equal to seven times around the earth. At that rate, light from the sun, 93,000,000 miles away, takes only eight and a half minutes to reach us.

Speeding in a car beyond the set speed limit is illegal. It can also be dangerous, especially when the highway is wet or icy. But there are times when speed can be a wonderful thing. Think of the way we can see on television what’s happening on the other side of the earth, almost as it happens. Receiving news from Japan or the Philippines, or sending messages there, can be done in seconds.

These facts relate to a missionary hymn written by Fanny Crosby in 1890, after she heard a song called Speed Away, that had been produced forty years earlier. It recounted a legend about an Indian maiden who died. Her father mourned her loss, until she sent a bird from the Happy Hunting Grounds with a reassuring message for him.

Fanny loved the melody, and she wrote a Christian missionary hymn to fit it, using the same title but with a totally different message. Ira Sankey, the music director of evangelist Dwight Moody, adapted Woodbury’s original tune to suit the words. In the years since, it has been used often at farewell services for departing missionaries.

CH-1) Speed away, speed away, on your mission of light,
To the lands that are lying in darkness and night;
’Tis the Master’s command; go ye forth in His name,
The wonderful gospel of Jesus proclaim;
Take your lives in your hand, to the work while ’tis day,
Speed away, speed away, speed away.

CH-3) Speed away, speed away with the message of rest,
To the souls by the tempter in bondage oppressed;
For the Savior has purchased their ransom from sin,
And the banquet is ready, O gather them in;
To the rescue make haste, there’s no time for delay,
Speed away, speed away, speed away.

We have tools to do that more quickly today than Christians did in 1890. But the question is: Are we using the tools we have? Are we busy in the Lord’s work? There is reason for haste. The Lord Jesus told John in his book of prophecy:

“Behold, I am coming quickly [or soon], and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Rev. 22:12).

If His coming was “soon” in John’s day, it is very soon today. We must serve the Lord with the view that His return could come at any moment. Meanwhile, we have a commission to fulfil:

“You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). “Go into all the world and preach the gospel” (Mk 16:15).

Questions:
1) What are some things that require haste?

2) What are some things where haste often causes problems?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Fanny Crosby)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

21 August 2017

Rise, My Soul, and Stretch Thy Wings

Robert Cottrill T7. Reflections: Aug.17

Words: Robert Seagrave (b. Nov. 22, 1693; d. circa 1759)
Music: Amsterdam, by James Nares (b. Apr. 19, 1715; d. Feb. 10, 1783)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (none)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: Robert Seagrave was an English clergyman who was appointed Sunday Evening Lecturer at Lorimers’ Hall, a Baptist meeting house in London. He also worked with John and Charles Wesley, and evangelist George Whitefield. In 1742, Seagrave published a book with the lengthy title, Hymns for Christian Worship, Partly Composed and Partly Collected from Various Authors. Included in it was this hymn about longing for heaven.

What is time? The Oxford Dictionary tells us:

“Time is the indefinite continued progress of existence and events that occur in apparently irreversible succession from the past through the present to the future.”

As creatures of time, we remember yesterday, we live today, and we anticipate tomorrow. The present moment is our God-given currency, to invest or to waste, to spend helpfully or harmfully. But what of the past and the future?

It’s best not to dwell too much on personal memories of days gone by. Either we become discouraged, and flooded with regrets about past failures. Or we are inflated with pride over our perceived successes. Neither is particularly helpful. Like a runner in a race, constantly looking back may cause us to stumble and lose ground.

As to the future, it’s a wise thing to plan and prepare for it. As the Lord put it:

“Which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it–lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?” (Lk. 14:28-30).

But having planned and prepared, we mustn’t assume a kind of divine sovereignty over tomorrow. We are not God. In this mortal life, there is no guarantee we’ll be able to do what we hoped to do. So many unexpected things can intervene–both pleasant things and ones not so pleasant. Perhaps we have a surprise visit from a good friend we haven’t seen in years, or maybe illness keeps us home when we intended to go to a concert.

The Bible says:

“Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit;’ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, ‘If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that’” (Jas. 4:13-15).

Though we must live out our mortal span of years, and are responsible to use them well, God’s Word encourages Christians to see the present as transitory, while comforting ourselves with the future the Lord has in store for us. Unlike our own plans, God’s designs will always be fulfilled.

“Let not your heart be troubled….I [Jesus] go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (Jn. 14:1-3).

Later, from a prison cell, Paul wrote that he had “a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better” (Phil. 1:23; cf. II Cor. 4:17-18). And he said this to the Thessalonian believers: “Thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words” (I Thess. 4:17-18).

CH-1) Rise, my soul, and stretch thy wings,
Thy better portion trace;
Rise from transitory things,
Towards heav’n, thy native place:
Sun and moon and stars decay,
Time shall soon this earth remove;
Rise, my soul, and haste away
To seats prepared above.

CH-4) Cease, ye pilgrims, cease to mourn,
Press onward to the prize;
Soon our Saviour will return,
Triumphant in the skies:
Yet a season, and you know
Happy entrance will be giv’n
All our sorrows left below,
And earth exchanged for heav’n.

Questions:
1) How can confidence about our heavenly home affect our lives here and now?

2) Is it possible to focus too much on heaven and our future there? (Why? Or why not?)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (none)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

18 August 2017

I Want to See My Saviour First of All

Robert Cottrill T7. Reflections: Aug.17

Words: John Willard Peterson (b. Nov. 1, 1921; d. Sept. 20, 2006)
Music: John Willard Peterson

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (John Peterson)
The Cyber Hymnal (John Peterson)
Hymnary.org

Note: John Peterson was the preeminent gospel song writer of the mid-twentieth century. His many songs, such as It Took a Miracle, Surely Goodness and Mercy, Heaven Came Down and Glory Filled My Soul, and It’s Not An Easy Road, and his many choir cantatas, have been used by evangelical churches all over the world.

Setting the right priorities in life seems to be a concern for many. That’s clear from the flood of books and web articles dealing with the subject. Priorities come into play in life’s big decisions, but also in our daily tasks. The man who’s embarrassed to find he’s painted himself into a corner failed to plan wisely which part of the floor to paint first.

There are some ways to establish priorities that are not advisable. One is to respond to everything that comes up the moment it comes up. But bouncing from one thing to another in this way can lead to a disordered and stressful existence. And it means we’re being victimized by what someone has called the tyranny of the urgent, and in the process we may be missing what is most important.

Another technique is to pick the easiest or most enjoyable task to do first and leave the more difficult or unpleasant until later. Admittedly there can be some benefit to this. It gets us moving. Writers use this technique when they suffer from writer’s block. An article is urgently needed, but they can’t think of what to write, or how to start. Experienced authors tell them to write anything–a letter to a friend, a grocery list, anything. Get the creative juices flowing. Then go back to the article.

But the danger of leaving difficult or less enjoyable tasks until later is that “later” may never come. Like tomorrow, it’s always being pushed off into the future. In the extreme, an opportunity may be lost forever, or the strength to do what we need to do may trickle away, having been expended on lesser things.

As to the spiritual priorities of the believer, Ecclesiastes reminds us that setting those should start early in life. This will begin as the task of parents (Prov. 22:6), training the child to:

“Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come, and the years draw near when you say, ‘I have no pleasure in them’” (Ecc. 12:1).

The Lord Jesus said we are to:

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [the things of life that tend to worry us so much] shall be added to you….Your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things” (Matt. 6:32-33).

And Paul expressed his priority this way:

“One thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind…I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14)–a way of saying that he wanted to finish well.

And let’s project our thoughts into the future. What will be our priority when we get to heaven? We often speak of the beauty of heaven, and the fact that we will have new resurrection bodies that won’t get sick or wear out. But what’s heaven’s priority? Surely it is being with the Lord, knowing Him, and honouring Him. When John received his revelations about the future, he was summoned to heaven, and he tells us what he saw first:

“Behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne” (Rev. 4:1-2).

Fanny Crosby wrote a song in 1891 about her priority on reaching heaven. One stanza says,

Through the gates to the city
In a robe of spotless white,
He will lead me where no tears will ever fall;
In the glad song of ages
I shall mingle with delight;
But I long to meet my Saviour first of all.

About half a century later John Peterson expressed that in his own way.

1) In heaven there are many things I’m longing so to see,
Its beauties surely will my soul enthrall;
But when I’m ushered to the realms of blest eternity,
I want to see my Saviour first of all!

I want to see my Saviour first of all,
Before on any others I would call;
And then for countless days
On His dear face I’ll gaze,
I want to see my Saviour first of all.

Both of these saints of God–who have meant so much to the church with their music ministry–are now experiencing that fellowship with the Lord they to which they looked forward so ardently.

Questions:
1) What are your priorities for today?

2) What are your priorities for your life as a whole?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (John Peterson)
The Cyber Hymnal (John Peterson)
Hymnary.org

16 August 2017

Jesus, the Name High Over All

Robert Cottrill T7. Reflections: Aug.17

Words: Charles Wesley (b. Dec. 18, 1707; d. Mar. 29, 1788)
Music: Gräfenberg, by Johann Crüger (b. Apr. 9, 1598; d. Feb. 23, 1662)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Charles Wesley born, converted)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: Charles was the hymn writing brother of John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement. He wrote more than six thousand hymns, with quite a few still in use. Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, Christ the Lord Is Risen Today, Jesus, Lover of My Soul, O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing, and many more, came from his pen. There were actually twenty-two stanzas of the present hymn originally. Most hymnals seem to use only six or eight.

It has been the traditional call of an officer of the court since the Middle Ages. “Oyez! Oyez! All persons having business before the Honourable Judge So-and-So are admonished to draw near and give their attention, for the Court is now in session.” The twice repeated “Oyez” is not a form of “Oh ye.” It means, “Hear! Listen!” It’s a command for silence and the attention of those present.

Standing before the court may be a guilty individual whose crime has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt. “Guilty as charged!” No clever lawyer has been able to wipe away the stain on his record. The evidence has shown clearly that he committed the crime, and now the judge will pronounce the sentence.

On the other hand, the one before the court may be there to appeal his innocence. There has been an accusation made, but the individual did not do what is claimed. Overwhelming evidence in his favour has been presented. In that case, the judge will support the rights of the accused and rule quite differently. “Not guilty!” The person is free to go his way with no charge against his record.

There is a real sense in which, when a pastor or missionary preaches a sermon, they are calling, “Oyez! Oyez! All persons having business before God, the Judge of all, are admonished to draw near and give their attention.” Many times the Bible calls for silence before a holy God. For example:

“The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him” (Hab. 2:20).

“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” (Ps. 46:10).

“Be silent in the presence of the Lord God” (Zeph. 1:7).

We are to give heed to His Word when it’s proclaimed. It may be a word of comfort and assurance for those have put their faith in Christ. Their sins are forgiven, and they stand guiltless before the Lord (Jn. 5:24). Or, it may be a sharp word of condemnation for those who have sins charged against them in the court of heaven (Rom. 3:23). In either case, “Oyez! Oyez!” Listen to what God says.

On August 6th, 1774, Charles Wesley was preaching at a church in Cornwall, England. Even though we consider him a hymn writer, he did more than that. On this particular occasion Charles was preaching, and he spoke boldly about the sins that had corrupted the community. He condemned the drunken revels of the people, urging them to repent and put their faith in Christ.

But these were rough times. Suddenly a man stood and began to curse and swear, and contradict the message from God’s Word. Wesley was quite used to people trying to disrupt the meetings. He sternly exclaimed, “Who is he that pleads for the devil?” And he proceeded to expose the blasphemer’s sins with such spiritual power that the man ran from the church.

Clearly there are times when the “soft answer [that] turns away wrath” (Prov. 15:1) is needed. But other times, as John the Baptist (Lk. 3:7-8), the Lord Jesus (Jn. 8:44), and Peter (Acts 8:20-21) illustrate, the strong, direct approach is called for.

After the man had gone, Wesley offered a prayer for him. And it was this incident that inspired him to write the hymn Jesus, the Name High Over All.

CH-1) Jesus! the name high over all,
In hell or earth or sky;
Angels and men before it fall,
And devils fear and fly.

CH-2) Jesus! the name to sinners dear,
The name to sinners giv’n;
It scatters all their guilty fear,
It turns their hell to heav’n.

CH-3) Jesus! the prisoner’s fetters breaks,
And bruises Satan’s head;
Power to strengthless souls it speaks,
And life into the dead.

CH-6) Thee I shall constantly proclaim,
Though earth and hell oppose;
Bold to confess Thy glorious name
Before a world of foes.

Questions:
1) How did you handle someone who angrily differed with you about your faith?

2) What have you learned from this post, or others on the Wordwise Hymns site?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Charles Wesley born, converted)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

14 August 2017

If That Isn’t Love

Robert Cottrill T7. Reflections: Aug.17

Words: Joyce Reba Luttrell (“Dottie”) Rambo (b. Mar. 2, 1934; d. May 11, 2018)
Music: Joyce Reba Luttrell (“Dottie”) Rambo

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Dottie Rambo)
The Cyber Hymnal (Dottie Rambo)
Hymnary.org

Note: Dottie Rambo wrote more than 2,500 gospel songs. We Shall Behold Him is another of hers. She died as a result of injuries sustained in a bus accident.

How many things that are called “a sure thing” really aren’t? That investment in stocks that were supposed to bring big dividends. That horse that was certain to win the Kentucky Derby. What was claimed to be definite so often disappoints us.

In 1957-58, the Ford Motor Company developed the Edsel automobile, and had high hopes for it. But it was rejected by the public as overpriced and unattractive. It has become a lasting symbol of failed expectations. In design and start-up costs alone, Ford lost two hundred and fifty million dollars.

It was Benjamin Franklin who said:

“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.”

But that axiom is wrong on several counts. Taxes come and go, and the Bible teaches that both Enoch (Heb. 11:5) and Elijah (II Kgs. 2:11) were caught up into heaven without dying. And those believers who are alive when Christ returns, will be ushered into His presence without passing through death (I Thess. 4:16-17).

So, can nothing be said to be certain? Is there no sure thing? Yes, the Bible is always true and trustworthy. As Jesus said to His heavenly Father, “Your word is truth” (Jn. 17:17). That means the many promises of God in it are reliable. We can depend on what He has said. And the love of God for His children–which the Bible talks about–is also a sure thing.

How was the love of God most clearly revealed?

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him….The Father has sent the Son as Saviour of the world (I Jn.. 4:9, 14).

“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16).

“The Son of God…loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).

In his book, Stories Behind Popular Songs and Hymns, Lindsay Terry tells the touching story behind two gospel songs about the love of God, songs written by gospel musician Dottie Rambo.

Dottie’s older brother Eddy was not a Christian. In fact, he’d led a very wicked life. A gambler and a thief, he’d spent time in prison. But now he was dying of cancer. His body had wasted away to a mere sixty-five pounds, and doctors said he had only a few weeks to live. When his sister tried to speak to him about salvation, he replied that he was too big a sinner for God to ever save him.

It was with her brother in mind that Rambo wrote the song He Looked Beyond My Fault and Saw My Need. When she sang it for Eddy, he wept, and asked her to write out the words for him. A few days later, Dottie Rambo was in a church to minister in music. There, after asking for prayer for her brother, she seemed to sense that something wonderful had happened to him.

The next day, she visited Eddy again, and he told her that the morning before he had finally found peace with God. She realized that he was truly saved, and told him more about the wonderful love of God for him. In her joy of that she later wrote a second song that says:

He left the splendour of heaven, knowing His destiny
Was the lonely hill of Golgotha–there to lay down His life for me.

If that isn’t love, the ocean is dry,
There are no stars in the sky, and sparrows can’t fly!
If that isn’t love, then heaven’s a myth,
There’s no feeling like this, if that isn’t love.

Of course, we don’t really prove the love of God by feelings, however inspiring. Feelings come and go, and they’re not always an accurate reflection of reality. The old children’s hymn offers a better evidence.

Jesus loves me, this I know,
For the Bible tells me so.

It’s the Word of God that assures us of His love. And the love of God is as certain as there’s water in the ocean and stars in the sky. But even when He destroys both of those one day, to make way for a new heaven and new earth (II Pet. 3:10, 13; Rev. 21:1), the love of God will remain constant. It’s, what Jeremiah described to Israel as “an everlasting love” (Jer. 31:3). A sure thing.

Questions:
1) What has been your own experience of the love of God?

2) What does the Bible mean when it says “God is love” (I Jn. 4:8, 16)?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Dottie Rambo)
The Cyber Hymnal (Dottie Rambo)
Hymnary.org

11 August 2017

I Do Not Ask, O Lord

Robert Cottrill T7. Reflections: Aug.17

Words: Adelaide Anne Procter (b. Oct. 30, 1825; d. Feb. 2, 1864)
Music: Orono, by Karl Pomeroy Harrington (b. June 13, 1861; d. Nov. 14, 1953)

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Procter’s song The Lost Chord)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

Note: Though her work is little known today, Adelaide Procter was one of the most popular writers in England in her day. A friend of Charles Dickens, and the favourite poet of Queen Victoria, her works outsold those of any contemporary poet other than Tennyson.

Many well known authors of the day were family friends and visited in the Procter home. As for Adelaide, she was already creating her own poems before she could read or write. When a little girl, she carried around a small book, as a child would carry a doll, and when she thought of some lines of verse, her mother would write them down for her in the book.

Dickens published many of the things she wrote, and he commented about her:

“When she was quite a young child, she learnt with facility several of the [mathematical] problems of Euclid. As she grew older, she acquired the French, Italian, and German languages [as well as skill in] piano [and] drawing.”

Adelaide Procter never married, though she was engaged for a time. But in the area of charitable works her passion grew and never diminished. She worked tirelessly on behalf of the poor, the homeless, and the unemployed. She visited the sick and taught the unschooled. An early feminist, she also addressed the particular needs of women.

To quote Charles Dickens again: “Swift to sympathize, and eager to relieve, she wrought at such designs with a flushed earnestness that disregarded season, weather, time of day or night, food [or] rest. One of her poems shows us her compassionate vision.

In that very street, at that same hour,
In the bitter air and drifting sleet,
Crouching in a doorway was a mother,
With her children shuddering at her feet.

Some of Procter’s poems have been set to music. One of these is The Lost Chord, a song recorded by many, including the great Enrico Caruso, who sang it at a benefit concert for the rescued victims of the Titanic’s sinking. It’s not a true hymn, but the song shows the unique power of music to inspire and uplift the soul.

Though Miss Procter was a Roman Catholic, her poetry and hymns deal with themes that are shared by Protestants too, and are found in many hymnals. One of these is I Do Not Ask, O Lord. It deals with the call to Christian service, and with a rejection of the easy road. That is reflected in the words of the Lord Jesus who said:

“If anyone desires to come after Me [be my disciple], let him deny himself [i.e. reject the demands of Self, in selfishness and self-will], and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matt. 16:24).

Living for Christ and serving Him is not how we earn eternal salvation. That’s a gift of God’s grace, received through faith in the Saviour who paid our debt of sin at Calvary (Eph. 2:8-9). The life of service comes afterward, as our response to God’s grace. “Those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works” (Tit. 3:8).

And being a servant of Christ will require sacrifice. Against us there’s the opposition of a godless world, and of spirits of darkness. There’s also weariness and discouragement along the way. For some, being Christ’s follower even means the extremity of a martyr’s death. The Lord said of Paul, “He is a chosen vessel of mind….I will show him how many things he must suffer for my sake” (Acts 9:15-16). And suffer he did (II Cor. 11:23-28).

It’s with an understanding of these things that Adelaide Procter states her own life’s priorities in her hymn.

CH-1) I do not ask, O Lord, that life may be
A pleasant road;
I do not ask that Thou wouldst take from me
Aught of its load.

CH-2) I do not ask that flowers should always spring
Beneath my feet;
I know too well the poison and the sting
Of things too sweet.

CH-5) I do not ask my cross to understand,
My way to see;
Better in darkness just to feel Thy hand,
And follow Thee.

Through her ceaseless toil on behalf of others, work that took her into dark and vermin infested places, the author contracted tuberculosis. She was bedridden for over a year, and finally died at the age of thirty-eight. Facing eternity with a smile, her last words were, “It has come at last.”

Questions:
1) Who do you know personally, who has made great sacrifices to serve the Lord?

2) What does Paul mean when he says, “To live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21)?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Procter’s song The Lost Chord)
The Cyber Hymnal
Hymnary.org

9 August 2017

Happiness Is the Lord

Robert Cottrill T7. Reflections: Aug.17

Words: Ira Forest Stanphill (b. Feb. 14, 1914; d. Dec. 30, 1993)
Music: Ira Forest Stanphill

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Ira Stanphill)
The Cyber Hymnal (Ira Stanphill)
Hymnary.org

Note: A gifted musician, Stanphill was already playing piano, organ, ukulele, and accordion by age ten. By the time he reached seventeen, he was composing and singing, participating in revival crusades, prayer meetings, and tent campaigns. As a singing evangelist, he preached all over America and in over forty other countries. He was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame in 1981.

What is happiness? Or what does it mean to be in a happy mood? The dictionary suggests a happy person is delighted, pleased, and glad about something. The word has been widely applied and frequently used, or misused.

The term “Happy Hour” came into common parlance in the 1950’s and 1960’s. It refers to the time, roughly 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. when bars and taverns offer drinks at reduced prices, or with free snacks. The name seems to imply that alcohol is a significant ingredient in the prescription for human happiness. But that’s more than questionable. Surely a temporary drug-induced euphoria is not true happiness–especially when its aftermath is a headache–or worse!

The American Declaration of Independence states that “the pursuit of happiness” is a God-given right. For the eighteenth century authors of the declaration, happiness meant personal well being and prosperity. But is that a right? Or perhaps are these things more of a privilege earned by hard work?

Cicero, a Roman lawyer, said happiness is “tranquility of mind.” But the Greek philosopher Aristotle went much further. He said, “Happiness is the meaning and purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence.” Taken in its most obvious sense that’s very self-centred. It implies that everything and everyone around me is there to make me happy, and it misses the grander and eternal purpose expressed in the Bible.

As an important aside, I know sometimes modern Bible versions substitute the word “happy” for the King James Version’s “blessed,” (e.g. in Psalm 1:1), but the latter is far richer than a fleeting happy mood. And knowing Christ as Saviour is not necessarily a guarantee of unwavering happiness. Way back when I was a kid we used to sing in Sunday School:

I’m inright, outright, upright, downright
Happy all the time.

But that is simply not true. Even the Lord Jesus, “a Man of sorrows” (Isa. 53:3), while on earth, wept and was grieved (Lk. 19:41; Jn. 11:35). And I prefer to use the words joy and rejoicing rather than happy and happiness. Happiness seems to have more of an association with happenings in our lives. Joy goes deeper. We can find joy, even in trying circumstances that do not engender happiness (cf. Heb. 12:2).

As the Westminster Shorter Catechism (created in 1646-47) puts it: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” This calls attention first to the reason God created us: for His own rightful glory.

“For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen” (Rom. 11:36). “Glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (I Cor. 6:20). “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (I Cor. 10:31).

Our enjoyment of God is the other side of the coin. As the children of God seek to bring honour and glory to Him, they enjoy His fellowship.

“Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?” (Ps. 85:6). “I will be glad and rejoice in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High” (Ps. 9:2).

“Truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full” (I Jn. 1:3-4). “You [Lord] have made him most blessed forever; You have made him exceedingly glad with Your presence” (Ps. 21:6).

The glorifying of God and the enjoyment of God are not merely to be the occupations of time, but of eternity too. In the heavenly city, “A voice came from the throne, saying, ‘Praise our God, all you His servants and those who fear Him, both small and great!’” (Rev. 19:5). “You [Lord] will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Ps. 16:11).

One day in 1974 pastor and hymn writer Ira Stanphill was driving home from his church office in Fort Worth, Texas. The car radio was on, and a bar was advertising their Happy Hour, and promoting their alcoholic beverages. Then a cigarette commercial told of how their product would bring happiness to smokers.

That’s standard for commercials, isn’t it? Whether it’s toothpaste or deodorant, a smart phone or a car, it’s touted as the last great answer to the problems of the human race. If you want true happiness in life, you’d better buy the right yogurt or the right glue.

Pastor Stanphill found the repeated use of the word happiness jarring. He thought, “Happiness does not come with these things, but with knowing Christ.” As he drove along, he created a chorus in his mind, and sang it. When he got home, he went straight to the piano and wrote it out.

That song has since been sung around the world. And notice how Pastor Stanphill seems to recognize that mere happiness, by itself, was not enough. He adds, “Real joy is mine, no matter if teardrops start.” The joy we have in Christ shines through the clouds that sometimes overshadow our path. Happiness (or better, “real joy”) is found in a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. He Himself is our joy!

The song says, in part:

Happiness is to know the Saviour,
Living a life within His favour,
Having a change in my behaviour,
Happiness is the Lord.

Real joy is mine, no matter if teardrops start;
I’ve found the secret–it’s Jesus in my heart.

Questions:
1) Why are Christians able to have joy, even in trying times?

2) What does the Bible mean when it says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10)?

Links:
Wordwise Hymns (Ira Stanphill)
The Cyber Hymnal (Ira Stanphill)
Hymnary.org