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The S.P.T.H.S.

It is unfortunate that so many churches have largely abandoned the old hymns. But there is an encouraging return to them in some quarters–churches that have realized the shallowness of some contemporary choruses, and are turning back to our great heritage once again.

That many love our traditional hymnody is evidenced by the responses I’ve received concerning this blog, responses from others who quote from the old songs and tell of their enjoyment of them. Similar encouragement has been passed on from those who read my weekly newspaper column on the subject. Perhaps there is still hope. Not that we should totally abandon the new in favour of the old. But our congregations today also need the depth of insight and doctrine found in some wonderful hymns.

For many years, I conducted Community Hymn Sings, and found that folk from many different churches were interested in attending these times of fellowship and singing. The great old hymns tended to unite us across many denominational lines. While there are hymns and gospel songs that reflect a particular doctrinal position, the vast majority present basic truths upon which most can agree. They provide a rich vocabulary of praise and testimony.

It also seemed to be an extra blessing for many if the singing at these community events was done in four-part harmony. Perhaps there were too few singers in their home church who were able to read music or sustain a part. But with a larger group, specifically assembled to sing, the possibility of harmonizing was increased. At one hymn sing at least I recall having folks divide roughly into four sections–soprano, alto, tenor and bass, so that the ease of singing a part was increased.

There are endless possibilities. Have you ever heard of the S.P.E.B.S.Q.S.A.? It stands for the Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barbershop Quartet Singing in America. In daydreams and flights of fancy I’ve thought, What if we had a S.P.T.H.S. a Society for the Promotion of Traditional Hymn Singing? If we could get “branches” going in several locations, then plan an annual Festival of Hymn Singing, and get the whole bunch together…

Well, it’s an idea!

Lead the Way

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You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, Which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you.

Ps. 32:7-9

In a time of temptation, King David had fallen into great sin, involving himself in adultery and murder. Then he tried to hide from God, to conceal the evil he had done (vs. 3). But finally he acknowledged his sin (vs. 5). Once again he was able to enjoy the blessed privilege of all those in right standing with God, safely hiding in Him, instead of hiding from Him.

In Psalm 143:8, David prays, “Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to You.” And Ps. 32:8 supplies the answer. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye [upon you].” the reason we need instruction and guidance is illustrated in the first part of the psalm. Without the Lord directing us, and our own obedient trust in His direction, we will go astray. We will only avoid the paths of sin by consistently following the Lord.

God will instruct…teach…and guide. There is a wonderful progression in that. To instruct (sakal in Hebrew) is to make wise, to give understanding. To teach (yawraw in Hebrew) is to direct, and point the way. The first is an enduring inner quality; the second is situational, direction for the present case.

Then, the second provision contrasts in turn with a third. If the second perhaps has to do with pointing the way at the beginning of a journey, the third has to do with its progress. To guide (yawats in Hebrew) means to advise, to give counsel. And the Lord says He does this “with My eye.” That is, keeping an eye on you, keeping you under observation. The three operations are accomplished by the Spirit of God, through the Word of God. And what a full provision for our progress!

But it is not automatic. Vs. 9 makes an important contrast between us and dumb animals that must be controlled and virtually forced to do their master’s will. In our case, there are choices to be made. Will we seek and accept God’s wisdom, and His direction and guidance? Or not? That is up to us. Nathaniel Niles reflects upon our text in his 1873 gospel song:

Precious promise God has given
To the weary passerby,
On the way from earth to heaven,
“I will guide thee with Mine eye.”

I will guide thee, I will guide thee,
I will guide thee with Mine eye
On the way from earth to heaven,
I will guide thee with Mine eye.

When temptations almost win thee
And thy trusted watchers fly,
Let this promise ring within thee,
“I will guide thee with Mine eye.”

Bad People…Good Music

How can bad people produce good music? It’s a relevant question. Because not all wholesome, God-honouring music was produced by born again believers. That may be almost too obvious to state, but it is an important place for us to start. There are even fine hymns, true to Scripture, written by unbelievers. For example, what do you think of the following lyric?

All hail to Thee, Immanuel, we cast our crowns before Thee;
Let every heart obey Thy will, and every voice adore Thee.
In praise to Thee, our Saviour King, the vibrant chords of heaven ring,
And echo back the mighty strain: All hail! All hail! All hail Immanuel!

All hail to Thee, Immanuel, our risen King and Saviour!
Thy foes are vanquished, and Thou art omnipotent forever.
Death, sin and hell no longer reign, and Satan’s pow’r is burst in twain;
Eternal glory to Thy name: All hail! All hail! All hail Immanuel!

D. R. Van Sickle wrote that hymn in 1910. Not only was he an unbeliever at the time, he wrote the song specifically to prove you don’t need to be a Christian to write a hymn! But some years later, by God’s grace, a strange thing happened. Van Sickle was in a church service when the choir sang his hymn, and the Lord used it to bring him under conviction and he got saved!

There are other examples that could be cited, but this one surely makes the point. So, how is it that bad people can make good music? Here are a few thoughts.

The Image of God

One factor is that all human beings still possess something of the image of God in their beings, distorted though it is by sin (cf. Gen. 1:27; 9:6; Jas. 3:8-9). The creativity with which God has gifted man has certainly been hampered and hindered by the fall, but it was not utterly destroyed.

Universal Principles

It is also true that the principles upon which God governs His universe are practical and self-validating. That is, anyone, whether saved or unsaved, can put the force of gravity to the test. And anyone, whether saved or unsaved, may discover that “a soft answer turns away wrath” (Prov. 15:1). Music–and lyrics–built upon God’s universal principles will benefit the hearer, no matter who wrote them.

The Restraint of the Holy Spirit

Another factor is the restraining power of the Holy Spirit working in society, especially through the people of God. Whether they admit it or not, the unsaved are benefited by the sanctifying influence of godly individuals. Much beauty and grace in the arts is due to this purifying impulse. When that is taken away at the coming rapture of the church, a tide of unmitigated evil will sweep across the earth (I Thess. 4:16-17; II Thess. 2:6-12).

In Spite of the Messenger

Finally, God honours the proclamation of His Word. When Scripture is quoted or its truths are framed in song, that truth has a life and power of its own through the Spirit, irrespective of who composed the music (Heb. 4:12).

Years ago, I got to know a famous Canadian agnostic. In his early years, he was an eloquent and effective preacher of the gospel. People were saved under his ministry–including one of my fellow-pastors. But he told me later, quite frankly, that he never believed a word of what he preached. It was all an act, feeding his own ego. And that may be so. But the Spirit of God can work through the Word of God, sometimes in spite of the messenger!

No Excuse

Obviously this does not mean the spiritual condition of the messenger is irrelevant. None of these factors is meant to suggest that it does not matter whether a person is saved or unsaved, carnal or spiritual. These things are of critical importance–certainly to the individual and, in the particular case under discussion, to the music he creates and presents. However, it is demonstrably true that wicked men are capable of doing some good in temporal terms, and of  producing things of lasting value to both saved and unsaved.

By the sovereign grace of God, He sometimes uses unregenerate or unholy instruments, as He did Pharaoh in Egypt (Rom. 9:17), and Cyrus King of Persia (Ezra 1:1-2). But that is no excuse for us to ignore the matter of our own holy walk, or the use of sanctified means and methods in His service. Blessings will be multiplied when we give attention to these things.

Lord’s Day Meditation – Outnumbered!

Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them….If God is for us, who can be against us (II Kgs. 6:16; Rom. 8:31).

Second Kings 6:8-17 tells how Elisha had been warning the king of Israel about the troop movements of the Syrians. God had revealed the information to him, and he had passed it on, time after time, thwarting the Syrian battle plans. To put an end to this, the enemy king sent a great host of soldiers, with horses and chariots, to capture the prophet. During the night, the force surrounded the valley town of Dothan where Elisha was.

When his servant awoke next morning, he was greeting with a terrifying sight. In a panic he alerted Elisha: “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” (vs. 15). And he must have thought the prophet had lost his wits when Elisha responded, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (16). It was two unarmed men against an army. What on earth was the man talking about?

Did you notice something? Elisha does not say, “Those who are with us are more than them.” No, it is “those who are with them.” Who was with the army of the Syrians? Possibly it is intended to parallel “those who are with us.” And we learn from vs. 17 that the latter are angelic beings sent by the Lord to protect Elisha and his companion. Therefore, those “with them” would seem to be demonic forces bent on destroying these servants of God.

“And Elisha lifted his heart to God and said, ‘Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (vs. 17). Had Elisha seen the supernatural host before this? Perhaps not. But he knew they were there. He accepted, by faith, that God would protect them by whatever means necessary.

Spurgeon comments, “Let us keep our spirits up, and walk with the gait of men who possess a cheering secret!” Nothing can touch the child of God that He does not permit to do so. We may not be given the privilege of seeing the armies of the Lord, but they are there to do His bidding (Heb. 1:14). In the words of a hymn by John Peterson:

So now the future holds no fear,
God guards the work begun;
And mortals are immortal here
Until their work is done.

The Lord could have warned Elisha in time for him to make his escape. Why did He not? Perhaps to give occasion to teach his servant (and teach us) the extent of God’s protection of His own. Would they have been any safer away from Dothan? Hardly, when they had the armies of the Lord to protect them there.

“If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Rom. 8:31). Good question! And how do we know God is “for us”? Look at the next verse in Romans, “He…did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all.” We know the Lord cares for us because of Calvary. “Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). So, as you meet with the people of God today to worship and serve Him, encourage your heart with this thought: God is for us!

Principles of Giving

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Consider II Cor. 9:6-15, one of the New Testament’s key passages on the theme of Christian giving.

6  But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
7  So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
8  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
9  As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.”
10  Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,
11  while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.
12  For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God,
13  while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men,
14  and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you.
15  Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Paul is in the process of collecting money to aid the poor believers in Jerusalem (8:4; cf. Gal. 2:9-10). The Corinthian Christians wanted to do their part (II Cor. 9:1-2). And in the apostle’s instruction to them there are many important principles presented, relating to Christian giving in the Church Age.

  1. In vs. 6 there is the law of the harvest, that reaping is proportionate to sowing.
  2. The motive of the giver is not to be legal obligation or forced necessity, but a personal decision reflecting the joy of the Lord in the heart (vs. 7)

At one point a famous woman preacher became dissatisfied with the size of the offerings being received at her meetings. There were too many coins on the offering plates to suit her. To prevent this, she had cards placed in the pew racks to which givers were instructed to pin their offerings! It is unfortunate that by this kind of manipulation she may have missed the blessing of the widow’s mite (Lk. 21:1-4).

  1. The power to give comes from God Himself. “God is able” (vs. 8) suggests the potential is there to receive all that faith will trust Him for.  And He is involved in our giving, both in providing the means for us to give, and then multiplying the effectiveness of the gift.
  2. On receiving the gifts of obedient Christians, the receivers will be prompted to express gratitude to God (vs. 11-13). Like the cycles in nature (cf. Ecc. 1:7), what God gives us returns to Him with praise and thanksgiving (vs. 11, 12).
  3. The receivers will be encouraged to pray for the givers (vs. 14). Their focus will not be simply on the money, though surely it will be welcomed, but on their kind and generous brothers and sisters in Christ.
  4. Generous giving causes us to reflect on the greatest gift of all, God’s Son who came to be our Saviour (vs. 15; cf. Jn. 3:16). It is a basic principle: Greater than the gift of material things is the gift of one’s self.
  5. We can never out-give God. “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.” And what is this indescribable gift? It certainly involves all the “riches of grace” (cf. 8:9; Eph. 2:7-9; Rom. 6:23), in other words, all that is involved in our eternal salvation. However, since “he who has the Son has life” (I Jn. 5:12), it would not be wrong to see God’s gift as personified in Christ (cf. Rom. 8:32).

In the words of the hymn by William Walsham How:

We give Thee but Thine own,
Whate’er the gift may be:
All that we have is Thine alone,
A trust, O Lord, from Thee.

And we believe Thy Word,
Though dim our faith may be:
Whate’er for Thine we do, O Lord,
We do it unto Thee.

Singers Needed

I love choral work of any kind. Have both sung in, and led, choirs since I was in my teens. I can well remember how it all started. Our church choir met for its regular Thursday evening practice. We were all assembled and waiting, when the director walked in and announced that he was having some struggles in his life, and that he was resigning his position, effective immediately. After he left us, we sat there in stunned silence for a moment. Then several of the members turned to me and said, “Bob, you lead us!

I was a member of the bass section, but had no experience leading choirs. I’ve since had a bit of training in both voice and choral conducting, but not then. However, I did the best I could, and continued in that roll for a number of years. We were not professional singers, far from it. But we loved the Lord, and determined to serve Him the best we could–which brings me a little closer to my point.

Effective choral work has always thrilled me, especially that of men’s voices. Have you ever heard any of the albums made by the British Festival of Male Voice Praise. The massed choirs are composed of men from many different groups coming together to sing. In my opinion, the result is inspiring. However, a reviewer commented about one of their recordings that, “For those who appreciate the fine craftsmanship and expertise of quality choral singing there is little here to admire and nothing to learn from….This is the honest, sincere but rather rough and basic sound of men praising God to the best of their ability.”

Well! I don’t know whether the critic realized it or not, but he actually paid them a great compliment! An “honest, sincere…sound of men praising God to the best of their ability.” He has just described the kind of from-the-heart singing that the Lord delights in. The Bible tells us, “The Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (I Sam. 16:7). And I think we can say, “The Lord does not hear as man hears; the Lord hears the heart.”

Not that I am at all denigrating skillful, trained choristers. What a blessing to hear some intricate choral work sung brilliantly. But we must not dismiss the untrained amateurs that make up most of our church choirs and ensembles. The word amateur literally means, after all, one who engages in an activity for the love of it. And if we combine a love of singing with a love for the Lord, we have a good basis to begin.

Practice and training there must be. We must not offer to the Lord that which is not our best. But if we can make a “joyful noise” that connects with the listener and communicates God’s truth, we have done well. More important that superb technique is singing with understanding and sincerity (Ps. 47:7; I Cor. 14:15; cf. Jn. 4:24).

Beyond that, we practice to communicate as effectively as possible, in hopes that our singing will neither distract from the message nor hinder the Spirit’s working through it. We should not sing to demonstrate our own ability, but to exalt the Lord. He should be the focus. In a Bible book that offers a great deal of instruction about organization and training of temple choirs in Old Testament times, notice how it is emphasized over and again that God is both the subject and the prime audience of the singing (italics added for emphasis).

Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!.

I Chron. 16:8-10

If that is our focus, we will bring glory to God and blessing to His people. In his song, Prayer Before Singing, Don Hustad says:

Touch Thou my lips,
Thy beauty let me see,
And fill my heart
With love, eternally,
That men may come to know
And adore Thee.
Lord, this prayer I bring;
Lord, for Thee I sing.

Good Hope by Grace

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Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.

II Thess. 2:16-17

This is a prayer of the apostle for the believers in Thessalonica. It is a petition for their encouragement and strength in service. Also in the epistle we find a prayer for God’s blessing, and for His glory (1:11-12), a prayer for love and patience (3:5), and for peace (3:16). In our work for the Lord, we need all of these. And there is a companion prayer in Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonian church:

Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.

I Thess. 3:11-13

God has loved us (Jn. 3:16) and given us “everlasting consolation [abiding comfort and encouragement]” due to our secure standing in grace (Rom. 5:2). Praise the Lord for His “good hope by grace!” It is “the hope of salvation” (I Thess. 5:8). And salvation is our present possession, by grace through faith, but there are many blessings reserved for us that are yet to be enjoyed.

That is our hope–the joyful certainty of future blessing. It is “a better hope,” when contrasted with the inability of the Mosaic Law to save (Heb. 7:19), tied to “the blessed hope” of Christ’s return (Tit. 2:13). And it is “a living hope” which guarantees the eternal blessing of all who believe (I Pet. 1:3-5).

All of this becomes not only a reassurance, but a strengthening resource that we might be equipped to speak for the Lord and to serve Him. Loving words and actions are to flow out of hearts that are encouraged and strengthened by Him. Or, to put it another way, the confidence that He will enable us to serve is rooted in an appreciation for the broad scope of His saving work through Christ.

My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly trust in Jesus’ name.

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand;
All other ground is sinking sand.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
Support me in the whelming flood.
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

No Singing in Church!

Most of us have come to take hymn singing in the services of the church as not only expected but necessary.

Our hymns bring us in contact with a rich Christian heritage, and congregational singing is an act of Christian fellowship. The hymns often (though not always, it is granted) expose us to great poetry and great music, giving our worship a due sense of majesty and beauty. In song, we not only worship and praise the Lord, we bear testimony to what He has done and is doing in our lives. Further, well chosen hymns support and enhance the teachings of the Word of God that are shared from the pulpit, causing them to be better remembered.

For all these reasons and more, hymn singing should continue to be a part of our church life. But that has not always been universally accepted.

The Second Baptist Church of Newport, Rhode Island, was constituted in 1656, when it is said they rejected singing as part of religious services, and omitted it for over one hundred years. In 1765, singing was introduced. After very great agitation, numerous church meetings, and much opposition, permission was given to sing one hymn or psalm during the service. Out of regard for tender consciences, those who could not endure the sound were allowed to remain out in the cold until it was concluded!

In England, the church that grew into one that Charles Spurgeon later pastored was originally against singing. When an attempt was made to introduce it, those opposed withdrew and formed themselves into a church in London, electing one of their number, Edward Wallen, as pastor. Things remained the same for nearly 40 years, until Mr. Wallen died. Then the people found it difficult to get another leader to suit their views, and so they asked his son Benjamin Wallen to be their pastor. To their astonishment, he would only accept the call on the condition that they would introduce singing! At length they yielded to this requirement and, in 1741, their meeting house began resounding with songs of praise.

How sad this is! With the Apostle Paul let us say, “I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding” (I Cor. 14:15; cf. Ps. 47:7). To deprive God’s people of the joy of song is to take from them a gift of God almost as essential as breathing! A church without music is a contradiction in terms.

“O come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation” (Ps. 95:1). “Sing out the honour of His name; make His praise glorious” (Ps. 66:2). “Let the word of Christ 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.”

Col. 3:16

Reasons Why I Don’t

Some weeks ago, a Christian friend suggested that I include articles on contemporary gospel songs on my blog site. I suppose I could, but there are reasons why I hesitate to do so.

  1. I don’t know many of them that well, since that has not been my area of study. And, though some are fine, the exposure I have had to them has not greatly impressed me overall. They tend to have less depth of insight, and less theological “meat” than many of our older hymns.
  2. It’s not really in keeping with my purpose. My goal is to reawaken interest in the traditional hymns of the church. I’m sure there are others willing to promote the contemporary songs. But meanwhile the hymn books are often gathering dust in the pews (if they are not removed altogether). This is, in part, because leadership is largely unaware of their contents, and younger ones in the congregation have been taught to avoid anything “old.” My hope is to make some small contribution to the reversal of that trend.
  3. I have a goal in mind: to cover as many as possible of the hymns found in the most common hymn books published over the last few decades. (This keeps me busy enough!) When I’m done with the almanac portion of this blog, I’m hoping to have it published as a volume that can be used by pastors, worship leaders and others, to promote a greater understanding of hymns and an appreciation for hymn singing.
  4. Copyright concerns can be a problem with newer songs. (And it is sometimes tricky to get permission to use them.) Most of the older hymns are in the public domain, which means they are free from copyright restrictions and easier to reproduce.
  5. I like to feature historical incidents and background where I can, and these seem less available with many newer songs. Granted there are some things of interest reported in this area, but not as commonly.
  6. Questions about contemporary songs come in occasionally, and I try to dig up information and reply to the questioner. It is often hard to find data, but at least I do my best to cover interest in these newer songs that way.
  7. I am trying to speak for the disenfranchised. I have heard more than once of churches that have suddenly gone “contemporary” and taken the attitude, “If it’s too loud, you’re too old.” I have preached in churches where all the longsuffering crowd to the very back pews in order to keep as far away as possible from thundering speakers. There are other churches where folks simply leave, because the music they love is never used. I want them to know there are others that love our traditional hymnody too.

Lord’s Day Meditation – A Sacred Duty

David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell asleep [in death, and] was buried with his fathers” (Acts 13:36).

That is our challenge–to serve our own generation. And one of the most powerful works of God in history was accomplished by the Methodists in England, in the mid-eighteenth century. That was a time when the nation was virtually a spiritual wasteland. Coarseness and violence in society were widespread, and drunkenness was rampant. Moral values were in retreat.

With few exceptions, the clergy of the time were part of the problem, not part of the solution. They did no more than was absolutely necessary to keep their positions, preferring to spend their time fox hunting, playing cards, and guzzling alcohol like their parishioners.

But against that tide of immorality God launched the dynamic ministry of John and Charles Wesley. Not only did they preach a strong salvation message, they issued a call to holy living as well. But it was not easy going. The two men often faced strong opposition in their service for Christ. And scornful abuse was shared by their converts too. It was a costly thing to identify yourself as a follower of Christ in those days. One writer says,

“They were outrageously treated–stoned, mauled, ducked [in water, until nearly drowned], hounded by bulldogs, threatened, [their] homes looted, businesses ruined.” It was said that anyone walking through a town could pick out, by their ravaged condition, the homes where Methodists lived. Commitment to serving God back then was far more than a word. It involved the sacrifice of a life upon the altar of sacred duty.

One day in 1762, Charles Wesley was pondering this truth. He read in Scripture of the responsibility assigned to the Levites in Israel to guard the tabernacle of worship. God’s command was, “You shall stay at the door of the tabernacle of meeting…and keep the charge of the Lord” (Lev. 8:35). They were to see that no unauthorized person entered, and that nothing offensive to a holy God was done there. Later, the Lord said, “The Levites shall camp around the tabernacle…that there may be no wrath on the congregation…and the Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle…” (Num. 1:53).

As his meditation on this continued, Wesley consulted a commentary written by a man named Matthew Henry. That author said, “We shall every one of us have a charge to keep, an eternal God to glorify, an immortal soul to provide for, one generation to serve.” Those glowing words became the basis for Charles Wesley’s hymn, A Charge to Keep I Have. God’s Word says of King David, “He…served his own generation by the will of God” (Acts 13:36). No greater charge and challenge confronts us. Will you do that today?

Wesley’s hymn reads in part as follows, with one change. The third line of the opening stanza was originally, “A never-dying soul to save.” But this almost seems to imply “by my own efforts”–a notion Charles Wesley would reject as unscriptural (cf. Eph. 2:8-9). It is sometimes altered to what you see here.

A charge to keep I have–
A God to glorify,
Who gave His Son my soul to save,
And fit it for the sky.

To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfil;
O may it all my powers engage,
To do my Master’s will.

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