Category: Devotions

Thursday 24^th  

1 Corinthians 3:22-23

NIV – ‘All things are yours,  whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas u or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are of Christ, and Christ is of God.’

ESV – ‘For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.’

J. H. Sammis – RH481

Today’s hymn is the one I quoted from at the end of yesterday’s devotion, it commences with a question, ‘Why should I charge my soul with care? In other words, why do we allow ourselves to become overwhelmed with worry, care, and anxiety when we have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ who is in the words of this hymn ‘a friend of mine’. He has shown us how much he cares for us by firstly becoming our Saviour and giving his life for us, but he continues to show his care for us by becoming our friend, a friend that is closer and more caring than any other friend.

In my words only edition of the Redemption Hymnal which my grandparents gave me for my 12^th birthday I have stuck a card inside with the words of a ditty on it:

Said the robin to the sparrow,

I would really like to know,

Why these anxious human beings,

Rush about and worry so.

Said the sparrow to the robin,

I would think that it must be,

That they have no heavenly Father,

Such as cares for you and me.

It fits into the tune of ‘What a friend we have in Jesus’, and we need to constantly remind ourselves that we have a heavenly Father and a heavenly friend in Jesus who cares for each one of us. In an earlier devotion we were reminded that God has loved us with an everlasting love, and out of his everlasting love springs his daily provision for us, not just our daily bread, daily strength, but daily blessings which are in Christ Jesus. Why should I charge my soul with care, why should I ever anxious be, for Jesus is a friend of mine, and my heavenly Father cares for me.

The hymn reminds us that everything belongs to God for he created it all through Christ Jesus, and yet in all his majesty and all his glory we can say if we have come to the Cross that he is a friend of mine! The Scripture reminds us that we are in his constant care and under his constant provision, ‘The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want’ for he leads us, he feeds us, he provides for us the green pastures and the still waters, he restores us, he protects us, he walks with us and he anoints us, every day his goodness and his mercy follow us, and one day we will dwell in his house forever, and the final verse of our hymn today says that when that moment comes when we cross the conquering line, it will be glory then to say, ‘That he’s a friend of mine’.

It begs a question today as you are reading this devotion, can you say, that Jesus is your friend? Have you come to the place where you have recognised him as the one and only Saviour, have you committed your life to him, have you surrendered to him as Lord? For it is only then that we can really say that Jesus is a friend of mine, and truly know Jesus as our friend that sticks closer than a brother and call God our heavenly Father.

This world in which we are living is full of trouble, if we allowed it to it would cause us to live in fear with anxious hearts, but Jesus our Saviour and friend bids us to come to him, and to cast all the care and worry upon him for he cares for us, so don’t charge your soul with care, cast it all upon Jesus.

Cast your burdens onto Jesus, for he cares for you, cast your burdens onto Jesus for he cares for you. Higher, higher, higher, higher, higher, higher, higher, higher, lift up Jesus higher. Lower, lower, lower, lower, lower, lower, lower, lower, stamp down Satan lower.

Why should I charge my soul with care?

The wealth of every mine

Belongs to Christ, God’s Son and Heir,

And he’s a Friend of mine.

Yes, he’s a Friend of mine,

And he with me doth all things share;

Since all is Christ’s, and Christ is mine,

Why should I have a care?

For Jesus is a Friend of mine.

The silver moon, the golden sun,

The countless stars that shine,

Are his alone, yes, every one,

And he’s a Friend of mine.

He daily spreads a glorious feast,

And at his table dine

The whole creation, man and beast,

And he’s a Friend of mine.

And when he comes in bright array,

And leads the conqu’ring line,

It will be glory then to say,

That he’s a Friend of mine.

Wednesday 23^rd  

Matthew 11:28-30

NIV – ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’

ESV – ‘Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

Beautiful words of Jesus

E. E. Hewitt – RH 301

The hymnal composers have only applied verse 28 to this hymn, but I have also included verses 29-30 as they are all a part of one sentence, and as the hymn writer says, what ‘beautiful words of Jesus, spoken so long ago’ and yet so applicable and relevant for us today.

If we were to go through the gospel’s we would see the ‘beautiful words of Jesus’ as he spoke time and again to those who he came into daily contact with. On this occasion during his ‘sermon on the mount’ he speaks words that are not only beautiful words, but words that speak of his bountiful care to all who are willing to come to him and to call on him. He comes to welcome those who are weary, those who are burdened, he comes to call those who are tired and struggling with the weight of the day, and he makes an incredible offer, you give the burdens and cares to me, and I will give you rest, I will give ‘rest for your souls.’

We all go through periods where we find ourselves struggling with the load we have to carry, it may be stress and pressure in the work place, it may be issues in the home and with the family, it may even be the burden of a sickness or a loss, it could be any number of things that cause us to feel like we are going to be crushed or overwhelmed, but in the midst of it all, Jesus calls out, ‘’Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’

Maybe today is the day when you need to be listening out for the voice of Jesus, you have carried the burden for far too long and you are stooped with worry, stooped with care and anxiety, you are at a crossroads not knowing where to go and what to do, and Jesus calls out to you, hand it all over to me, let me help you, let me carry it for you and allow me to carry you through. You may have listened to advice from here, there, and everywhere, today listen to the ‘beautiful words of Jesus’ allow him to speak into your weary soul and as he speaks wait on him and rest in him.

I always think of the words that Peter penned for us alongside the verses that form our text for us today – ‘casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.’ (1 Peter 5:7) While doing todays devotion another hymn came to mind which I will use for tomorrow along similar lines, but here for today are some of the words, ‘Why should I charge my soul with care?  . . .  for Jesus is a friend of mine.’

Why charge our souls with care when Jesus invites us to come to him?

Beautiful words of Jesus,

Spoken so long ago,

Yet, as we sing them over,

Dearer to us they grow,

Calling the heavy laden,

Calling to hearts oppressed,

“Come unto me, ye weary;

Come, I will give you rest.”

Hear the call of his voice, so sweet;

Bring your load to the Saviour’s feet;

Lean your heart on his loving breast,

Come, O come, and he will give you rest.

Beautiful words of Jesus,

Cheering us, day by day;

Throwing a gleam of sunshine

Over a cloudy way;

Casting on him the burden

We are too weak to bear,

He will give grace sufficient,

He will regard our prayer.

Beautiful words of Jesus,

Tokens of endless rest,

When, by and by, we enter

Into his presence blest;

There shall we see his beauty,

Meet with him face to face;

There shall we sing his glory,

Praising his matchless grace.

Tuesday 22^nd

Romans 8:24

NIV – ‘For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?’

ESV – ‘For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?’

Arise, my soul, arise!

Charles Wesley – RH200

The day before I prepared this devotion the words of the hymn that we have turned to today came to my mind while I was preparing other ministry and I immediately felt I should include it in these devotions.

I want to start it off with a reference to 2 Timothy 2:5-6 ‘For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.’

There is a man in glory who stands in the presence of God on our behalf, and he has nailed scarred hands and feet and the scar from a spear in his side, and his name is Jesus! This should thrill us that Jesus stands in the presence of God interceding for us and he can do it because he suffered for us, he came into this world to bear not only our sin, but also the punishment we deserved for it and the proof is there in the presence of God. ‘Five bleeding wounds he bears, received on Calvary; they pour effectual prayers; they strongly plead for me: “Forgive him, oh, forgive,” they cry, “Forgive him, oh, forgive,” they cry, “Nor let that ransomed sinner die!”

The whole thrust of this hymn is about the intercessory work of the Lord Jesus as our Great High Priest. It starts off with an instruction to us as believers to arise and shake off our guilty fears, in other words, taking another Scripture to remind us that ‘there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ why? Because he has procured an effective and a full salvation, because he bears the five bleeding wounds to prove it, and because he stands before his Father’s throne as our surety, our guarantee that whosoever comes and believes will be forgiven, saved and reconciled. His sacrifice was and still is sufficient to save and to cause that for all who come to him the past is blotted out! Therefore, there is now no condemnation, our past should not longer haunt us or cause us to fear – we are forgiven, and God has forgotten, he has blotted it out, and Jesus has the scars to prove it.

The final verse in this hymn is ‘My God is reconciled, his pardoning voice I hear; he owns me for his child, I can no longer fear; with confidence I now draw nigh, and ‘Father, Abba, Father,’ cry.’ These old hymn writers certainly used the Word of God as the basis of their compositions, bringing theology in song, and we need to grab hold of the wonder of these truths, that because of those wounds, we are reconciled, we have become the children of God, we can call God our Father, we are accepted in the beloved, and we can draw near to the mercy seat to find mercy and grace to help us in time of need. ‘For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.’  (Romans 8:15–17)

Spend some time today contemplating the wounds he bore for you on Calvary and then ponder on the benefits we have as a result, sinners saved by grace, reconciled, and accepted into the family of God and access to the throne of grace. ‘He ever lives above, for me to intercede.’

Arise, my soul, arise; shake off thy guilty fears;

The bleeding Sacrifice in my behalf appears:

Before the throne my surety stands,

Before the throne my surety stands,

My name is written on his hands.

He ever lives above, for me to intercede;

His all-redeeming love, his precious blood to plead:

His blood atoned for all our race,

His blood atoned for all our race,

And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

Five bleeding wounds he bears, received on Calvary;

They pour effectual prayers; they strongly plead for me:

“Forgive him, oh, forgive,” they cry,

“Forgive him, oh, forgive,” they cry,

“Nor let that ransomed sinner die!”

The Father hears him pray, his dear anointed One;

He cannot turn away the presence of his Son;

His Spirit answers to the blood,

His Spirit answers to the blood,

And tells me I am born of God.

My God is reconciled; his pard’ning voice I hear;

He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear:

With confidence I now draw nigh,

With confidence I now draw nigh,

And “Father, Abba, Father,” cry.

Monday 21^st

1 John 4:19

NIV & ESV – ‘We love because he first loved us.’

Jesus has promised my Shepherd to be.

Scott Lawrence – RH618

I add in here also from 1 John 4:10 ‘In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.’

Isn’t it a wonderful feeling to know that you are loved, be it the love of a parent, child, friend or a partner, they know everything there is (or most things) about us and yet they love us! It is the same with God’s love toward us, he knew everything about us, right down to the minutest of detail and yet he loved us, as we learned from a hymn a few days ago, with an everlasting love. The love that we receive from others is often dependent on the fact that we also love them, but God loved us before we ever came to love him, before we even had any thought of him, or any inclination to be concerned about him, that is love. Love that is so immense and so powerful that he loved the most unloveliest of human beings that have ever lived or may yet ever live on planet earth, he loved so much that he sent or gave his only Son to be the propitiation for our sin, that we may come to know his love and in return to love him back. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.’ (John 3:16)

In our hymn for today, the composer is portraying the beautiful picture of Jesus as the Shepherd who has loved us enough not only to die for us but, loves us enough to be our Shepherd and to care for us as we have come to love him in return and to be with us as we sojourn through life and into eternity. It is a great place to be found in, knowing the love of God and being willing to also love him back, it is also a great place to be in knowing the Lord Jesus as our Shepherd, knowing his daily provision and protection. The final line in the chorus part reminds us that he is the greatest companion we can have, ‘When I’m tempted and tried, he is close by my side, that’s why I love him so.’ He is a constant companion, fulfilling the promise he made ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you’, it is a daily strength to know that whatever we are faced with, wherever we need to go, whatever we need to do, the One who has loved us, will lead us, will cheer us, will be with us. ‘That’s why I love him so’.

‘The love of God is greater far than tongue or pen can ever tell.

It goes beyond the highest star and reaches to the lowest hell.

The guilty pair, bowed down with care, God gave His Son to win;

His erring child He reconciled and pardoned from his sin.

O love of God, how rich and pure! How measureless and strong!

It shall forevermore endure—The saints’ and angels’ song.

Jesus has promised my Shepherd to be,

That’s why I love him so;

And to the children he said, “Come to me,”

That’s why I love him so.

That’s why I love him, that’s why I love him,

Because he first loved me;

When I’m tempted and tried, he is close by my side,

That’s why I love him so.

He the weak lambs to his bosom will take,

That’s why I love him so;

Never will he for a moment forsake,

That’s why I love him so.

He has in heaven prepared me a place,

That’s why I love him so;

Where I may dwell, by his wonderful grace,

That’s why I love him so.

Friday 18^th

Psalm 96:1

NIV – ‘Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth.’

ESV – ‘Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!’

‘Let the song go round the earth, Jesus Christ is Lord.’

Sarah G. Stock – RH 738

One of my favourite services when I was a teen growing up in the Church (and still is) were the missionary meetings where we used to meet once a month to concentrate prayer on mission, and the visits we would get from the missionaries who would be home on furlough and they would visit the Churches with a report on the work in the country they were serving in as missionaries. I remember the missionaries from New Zealand, and the work among the Maoris, those who came from Nigeria, Ghana, The Cameroon, Brazil, India, Rhodesia,(now Zimbabwe)  Ceylon, (now Sri Lanka) Portugal and many other nations and I would be excited to hear of what was going on in these various countries, I dreamed of being involved in mission, as a young lad I was going to go to China, then it was Brazil, then Portugal – in fact back then it would have been anywhere where the Lord would choose to send me—I would have gone, but it seems like it was never meant to be, unless of course you can count Wales! and the ten years I spent visiting Hungary on a regular basis sharing with Churches there. Ironically, I ended up marrying a girl who had been with her parents on the mission field in the middle of the Gibson desert working for a short time among the Aborigines in Jigalong!

That is all by the way now, as my mission field is up here in the North East, but the reports that I enjoyed listening to so much and which always left a challenge in my life was that which is in the words of our hymn for today, it is all about letting the song go round the world, what song? Jesus Christ is Lord! It is a message that needs to be heard here in the UK, it needs to be heard across Europe, it needs to be heard across the other continents of the world, and it needs to be heard above all the other sounds that are being made from the false religions and cults and isms, ‘Jesus Christ is Lord’. For as loud as the other religions etc may sound out their message, it is clear from the Word of God that ‘there is salvation in no one else, for there is other no name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.’ (Acts 4:12) There is only one man in glory, and his name is Jesus and Scripture again says that ‘after making purification for sins, he (that is Jesus) sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.’ (Hebrews 1:3-4) Again we read in 1 Timothy 2:5-6 ‘For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,  who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.’

We have the only good news that can bring salvation to men and women, wherever they are and whoever they are, it is good news that is worth sharing and worthy of declaring, it is the best news that any person can hear and respond to for it is the only message that can give the lost sinner hope, transformation, and eternal life.

Another hymn starts with these lines, ‘Jesus only is our Message, Jesus, all our theme shall be, we will lift up Jesus ever, Jesus only will we see. Jesus only, Jesus ever, Jesus all in all we sing; Saviour, Sanctifier, Healer, Glorious Lord and Coming King.’

May we never be ashamed of the good news of the gospel, but may we always look for opportunity to share the good news and to play our part that ensuring that the song goes round the earth, Jesus Christ is Lord!

Let the song go round the earth,

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Sound his praises, tell his worth,

Be his Name adored;

Every clime and every tongue

Join the grand, the glorious song!

Let the song go round the earth,

From the eastern sea,

Where the daylight has its birth,

Glad, and bright, and free;

China’s millions join the strains,

Waft them on to India’s plains.

Let the song go round the earth,

Lands where Islam’s sway

Darkly broods o’er home and hearth,

Cast their bonds away;

Let his praise from Afric’s shore

Rise and swell her wide lands o’er.

Let the song go round the earth,

Where the summer smiles;

Let the notes of holy mirth

Break from distant isles;

Inland forests, dark and dim,

Ice bound coasts give back the hymn.

Let the song go round the earth,

Jesus Christ is King!

With the story of his worth

Let the whole world ring;

Him creation all adore

Evermore and evermore.

Thursday 17^th

Isaiah 52:7

NIV – ‘How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!”’

ESV – ‘How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”’

‘I love to tell the story of unseen things above.’

Kate Hankey – RH 287

We all love a good story, and we probably all like to tell a good story, but the greatest story to tell or to hear is the story of Jesus and his glory, the story that offers hope and if responded to brings salvation to the lost souls of men and women. I wonder how often we have sung this hymn, maybe for us that are older we would respond countless times, but having sung the words ‘I love to tell the story’ I wonder how often we have told it? Maybe often when we have talked about it among those who are fellow believers, but how about how often have we told it to those who still need to hear it, those who are at this moment still heading to a lost eternity, without Christ and without hope.

Now I am challenging myself as well today, I too can often be guilty of knowing the story and the wonder of what it means to know Jesus as Saviour and Lord and yet not be very quick to share it. There are a few verses of Scripture in the Old Testament that record of a time when the city of Samaria had been besieged by the Syrians, and outside of the city were four lepers who made this comment. ‘Why are we sitting here until we die? If we say, ‘Let us enter the city,’ the famine is in the city, and we shall die there. And if we sit here, we die also. So now come, let us go over to the camp of the Syrians. If they spare our lives we shall live, and if they kill us we shall but die.”’

On entering the city, they discovered that the Syrians had gone, and so they began to enjoy themselves plundering whatever they could, after a while the Scripture says that they said to each other ‘“We are not doing right. This day is a day of good news. If we are silent and wait until the morning light, punishment will overtake us. Now therefore come; let us go and tell the king’s household.”’ (2 Kings 7)

Likewise, for us who have come to taste and to see that the Lord is good, who have come to enjoy all the blessings and the benefits of Calvary, this is the day of good news, and sadly perhaps too often we are silent, there is a world outside, neighbours, friends and family who need to hear the old, old story of Jesus and his love. May we by God’s grace and with the enabling help of the Holy Spirit look for opportunities to tell the story, look for those moments when something said or done can lead us into finding ways to tell the story of Jesus and of how that story has also changed our story. After all there were we but for the grace of God, and in the words of a song we had a couple of weeks ago, ‘I’m only a sinner saved by grace’ but as a sinner that has been saved by grace I know, and you know how wonderful the old, old story is. We will have a similar theme tomorrow.

I love to tell the story of unseen things above,

Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love;

I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true,

It satisfies my longings as nothing else would do.

I love to tell the story,

’Twill be my theme in glory,

To tell the old, old story

Of Jesus and His love.

I love to tell the story, more wonderful it seems

Than all the golden fancies of all our golden dreams;

I love to tell the story, it did so much for me,

And that is just the reason I tell it now to thee.

I love to tell the story, ’tis pleasant to repeat,

What seems each time I tell it more wonderfully sweet;

I love to tell the story, for some have never heard

The message of salvation from God’s own holy Word.

I love to tell the story, for those who know it best

Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest;

And when in scenes of glory I sing the new, new song,

’Twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long.

Wednesday 16^th

Hebrews 2:9

NIV – ‘But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honour because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.’

ESV – ‘But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.’

‘Thine be the glory, risen conqu’ring Son.’

E. L. Budry – RH 181

Who doesn’t love this hymn, it is an amazing, and an arousing hymn the purpose of which is to rejoice in the risen conquering Lord Jesus Christ, to celebrate the triumphant resurrection, to celebrate the victory that Christ accomplished over sin, Satan, and death, the last line of the chorus part is good news, ‘ENDLESS is the vict’ry thou o’er death has won!’

There have been many missions that have been undertaken in the history of the world that have led to what would be classed as an amazing victory for one side, the battle of Hastings, the battle of Trafalgar, the battle of Waterloo, VE day, etc. but the victory accomplished has been short lived as further strife and further battles have followed, too often, the cause is fought for all over again. But, when Jesus came into this world to fulfil his mission it was going to be a once for all battle, the victory would be final, but it was going to cost. It cost Jesus his precious blood, but it was going to ensure once for all that the powers of darkness would be defeated, and that Christ would be the Conqueror. And that wonderful resurrection morning was the evidence, as the line in verse 2 says, ‘For the Lord now liveth, death hath lost its sting’. I mentioned a few days ago that there is no other message like the good news of the gospel, and this is one of the pivotal reasons, no one else has ever died for the cause of redeeming mankind and risen again with resurrection power to prove that he has conquered death and sin, no one else has ever battled with the devil head on and won, only Jesus, no one else has ever taken upon themselves the sin of mankind and faced the punishment for that sin and the wrath of God for that sin, only Jesus. No one else has ever died such an awful and cruel death and been buried behind a sealed tomb and risen again, with the scars to prove it, only Jesus, no one else has ever ascended back to the Father to appear in his presence on behalf of fallen humanity, only Jesus. Therefore, he is the only conquering one, he is the only victorious one, he is the only life giving one, therefore he is the only one that can bring us safe to Jordan’s side, to his home above. His death, his resurrection, his victory is permanent, it is eternal, the battle will never need to be fought again.

I bring a challenge to all who read this, have you come to the risen Saviour, have you come to the only one who has the power to save your life, to redeem you, to restore you and to reconcile you back to God, have you allowed the risen conquering Jesus to come and to live in your life as Saviour and Lord. He is the only one who has the power and the authority to deal with your sin problem, for he is the only one who has fought the battle on your behalf and won.

Thine be the glory, risen, conqu’ring Son;

Endless is the vict’ry thou o’er death hast won.

Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,

Kept the folded grave-clothes where thy body lay.

Thine be the glory, risen, conqu’ring Son;

Endless is the vict’ry thou o’er death hast won.

Lo, Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb.

Lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom;

Let His church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,

For the Lord now liveth; death hath lost its sting.

No more we doubt thee, glorious Prince of life!!

Life is nought without thee; aid us in our strife;

Make us more than conqu’rors, through thy deathless love;

Bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above.

Tuesday 15^th

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

NIV – ‘Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies.’

ESV – ‘Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.’

‘Take my life and let it be consecrated Lord to thee.’

F. R. Havergal. RH – 582

The author of today’s hymn, Frances Ridley Havergal, died at the age of 42 but in that time wrote many hymns, research on the internet reveals that she came to faith as a young girl aged around 6 years of age. In 1873 at the age of 37 she read a book called ‘All for Jesus’ about which she said (and I quote) ‘lifted her whole life into sunshine, of which all she had previously experienced was but as pale and passing April gleams, compared with the fullness of summer glory.’

This hymn is about surrendering ‘all for Jesus’, and it is a challenge to all of us who have claimed to have come to faith, how much are we willing to give up for the cause of Christ and the gospel? I remember hearing about someone who would never sing verse 4 because they knew they had money in the bank, but we need to realise that in giving our all to Jesus it does not necessarily mean that it will lead to us having to give up all our gold and silver, it is all about our willingness to give and to respond as and when the challenge or call to do so may come.

I think that if we are genuine and willing to give our life as verse one says, then it is from out of this that we will find everything else will fall into place. For me it brings a challenge as to how do I allow my life to be used, how is my life lived regarding handing it over to the Lordship of Jesus?

The author mentions the various parts of the body, hands, feet, voice, lips, and mentions moments, days, intellect, the will, heart and love, it is a comprehensive usage of language that sums up what we also sing in that other well-known hymn, ‘When I survey the wondrous cross’, which has the line in the final verse, ‘Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all’. And it does!

The text that the hymnal compilers have attached to this hymn is all about reminding ourselves as to what we have become since we have been born again, we have become temples of the Holy Spirit, this means that we need to allow our lives to be swept up and cleaned up so that nothing can be found within us that will deflect from the glory of God and of what we are in Christ Jesus, the challenge is to ‘glorify God with our bodies’, and surely the best way to ensure this happens is to come to the place where we consecrate ourselves over to his will, surrendering our all, uttering the words of this hymn with genuine meaning and ambition from our heart and lips, ‘Take my life and let it be, consecrated Lord to thee . . .’

I quote as I have been doing in other devotions from another hymn as well, which is along similar lines, ‘All to Jesus I surrender, all to him I freely give, I will ever love and trust him, in his presence daily live. I surrender all, I surrender all; all to thee my blessed Saviour, I surrender all.

May we always allow Jesus to be the centre of who we are and what we do, may we willingly and gladly surrender our all to him for the glory and the honour of his name.

Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord, to thee.

Take my moments and my days; let them flow in endless praise.

Take my hands and let them move at the impulse of thy love.

Take my feet and let them be swift and beautiful for thee.

Take my voice and let me sing always, only, for my King.

Take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee.

Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.

Take my intellect and use every power as thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it thine; it shall be no longer mine.

Take my heart it is thine own; it shall be thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour at thy feet its treasure store.

Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for thee.

Monday 14^th

Job 23:10

NIV – ‘But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.’

ESV – ‘But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.’

‘God holds the key of all unknown.’

J. Parker RH – 495

The first line of this hymn is an amazing statement to make and to cling onto, ‘God holds the key of all unknown’, it is a great hymn that reminds us that when we don’t know, God knows, when we are unsure of the next step to take, God has it planned out, when we don’t know what is lying around the corner, God knows, as we place our lives into his will and place our hand into his hand he will lead us, he will direct us, he will take us through, it leads us to say the second line, ‘And I am glad’.

Job was a man who had to face so much, that it could so easily have overwhelmed him to the point of no return, he had those who we call his comforters, he had his wife who also tried to advise him, but he clung on to his trust in God, however dark the circumstances became, because he had hope, because he had a confident assurance that God was in control, saying, ‘But he knows the way that I take . . .’ He knew that whatever the outcome, to use a New Testament verse, God was working everything out for his good. (Romans 8:28) Job continues, ‘I shall come out as gold’, this paints a picture of a refiner’s fire, getting rid of all the impurities so that the gold would be the purest and the best.

I am so glad that when I look over my life thus far, that God had it all planned out for me, and when there have been those difficult moments where I could not understand what was going on, God knew, when I did not know which way to turn, God had it sorted for me, when it came to making decisions, God was there to help me. And in it all and through it all, God has been working out his will, his best for me and for our family as we have obeyed and followed the leading of the Holy Spirit.

We can rest in the assurance that as we place our trust in God, he will unlock each day for us, and more than that he does not just open the door of each new day and say, ‘off you go’, he comes with us, ‘for, groping in my misty way, I feel his hand, I hear him say, ‘my help is sure’’.

Whatever you are faced with today, remember that God is with you, remind yourselves of the truth of the Scripture, ‘God is my refuge and strength, a very present help in the time of trouble.’ If you are unsure of the future, rest in the knowledge that the Lord God is with you, and Jesus himself, said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you,’ If you are feeling alone, remember that the Scripture reminds us when my mother and father forsake me even then the Lord will take me in.If you are feeling at a loss, feeling as if all the cares of the world have come crashing down upon you, then remember that God cares for you and invites you to cast all your care and all your worry on him, for he cares for you. Feeling lost, then allow the Lord to come alongside you and place your hand in his hand, he will lead you. God does hold the key to all the unknown, be glad and trust him, for he knows the best options for every one of us. He will work it all out as we allow him to be in control.

In the words of the song that has been such a blessing to us over the last year or so with the pandemic, ‘Because he lives, I can face tomorrow’.

God holds the key of all unknown,

And I am glad;

If other hands should hold the key,

Or if He trusted it to me,

I might be sad.

What if tomorrow’s cares were here,

Without its rest?

I’d rather He unlocked the day,

And, as the hours swing open, say,

My will is best.

The very dimness of my sight

Makes me secure;

For, groping in my misty way,

I feel His hand; I hear Him say,

My help is sure.

I cannot read His future plans;

But this I know:

I have the smiling of His face,

And all the refuge of His grace

While here below.

Enough; this covers all my wants;

And so I rest;

For what I cannot, He can see,

And in His care I saved shall be,

Forever blest.

Friday 4^th

Revelation 5:12

NIV – ‘In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!”’

ESV –‘. . . saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing!”’

‘We worship and adore thee.’

Unknown RH – 4

This is one of those hymns which I remember so well from my childhood, in the small Church which I attended at the time, this was a regular hymn in our Sunday morning services.

It is a hymn that declares our intention when we come together as the family of God to ‘worship and adore thee’. It immediately causes us to focus on the reason why we come together on such occasions, it is to worship and to adore the one who has brought us out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom or the family of God.

Yes, we come together for fellowship, yes, we come together to share in communion together and yes, we come together to come around God’s word, but primarily it should be ‘to worship and to adore him’ the very focus of our being together should be for the glory of God and worship for who he is and for what he has done, and praise and adoration to our wonderful Saviour. Out of this the other ministries flow and combine to bring harmony and mutual blessing.

We need today to be reminded that Jesus should have the centre place, it is good to have good music, good worship groups, a good building, and everything else that we may wish to put in place, but not if it comes at the expense of us focusing on the One to whom we are coming before. A more modern song goes like this, ‘It’s all about you, Jesus for your glory and your fame, it’s not about me . . .’

The text for today is all about the scene in heaven, where all the glory is being given to the Lamb who had been slain, he is at the centre, he is the one who is the focus of attention, may Jesus always be the centre, may he always be our focus, and the focus of our attention, may it always be about him, that we will truly know what it is to worship and to adore him, before the mercy seat, he has set his love upon us, to him be all the praise.

We worship and adore thee,

Before the mercy seat,

We give thee praise and glory,

Dear Lord, it is so sweet.

We worship and adore thee,

Who once for us was slain,

Thou liv’st and reign’st in Glory,

Thou soon wilt come again.

We worship and adore thee,

For thy redeeming Grace,

Thou set thy love upon us,

To thee be all the praise.

We worship and adore thee,

A tribute, Lord, we bring,

Of praise and glad thanksgiving,

And crown thee King of kings.

There will be a week’s break from posting owing to holiday ansd the devotions will return on June 14th