Tag: sing today

A Snapshot of God’s Abounding Love

The King of King has proposed to His Bride. He stopped the world from busy-ness for a short time.
He presented His ring and asked,

“Will you be Mine?”

I had to take a snapshot of this heavenly image so the picture would impress daily the Lord’s point of view.

So, as I wake this new morning, knowing He sees and knows all my flaws, . . .

I rise with my heart taking hold of His hand, and my feet hit the floor as I think, “Lord, I do.”

“Lord, I’m amazed by You. How can You love me just as I am?”

“I AM WHO I AM, Jehovah God is My name. I am love. I love everyone. For all eternity I am the same.

I AM The LORD, merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 

There is no Love greater. I AM the LORD. Faithful and True is My name.

But to all who receive Me and believe on Me, I give right to welcome into My family.
Will you be Mine? Today, and for all eternity? It doesn’t matter how you feel. My love is above all Love, “I will betroth you to Me.”

Hosea 2:20, Exodus 3:14, 1 John 4:7-12, and John 1:12, This is My Word. I love you, still.

With each step you take, on this day forward, will you be . . .”
“Yes Lord, I will!

You wore a crown of thorns so I can someday wear a crown of gold. I worship You with a thankful heart. I am Yours.

Here is my hand, I receive Your Love. I am thankful forever that You promise to keep me and hold, . . .

To keep me and hold. You, my Love have promised to never, ever,
let go.”

(And this is my Thanksgiving prayer, that I show off my “ring” in every remaining song I sing. Who will say, “Amen, and pray to join me?!)
Happy, Happy, Thanksgiving.

Exodus 3:14, God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.”

1John 4:7-12, Beloved, let us love one another,

for love is from God,

and whoever loves has been born of God

and knows God.  

Anyone who does not love does not know God,

because God is love. 

In this the love of God was made manifest among us,

that God sent his only Son into the world,

so that we might live through him. 

 In 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.

  Beloved, if God so loved us,

we also ought to love one another. 

 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another,

God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

John 1:12, But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

Revelation 19:11-21, Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True,

and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 

 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems,

and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.  He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood,

and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.

  And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, 

were following him on white horses. 

 From his mouth comes a sharp sword

 with which to strike down the nations,

and he will rule them with a rod of iron.

 He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.

  On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.

Romans 11:33, Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

And to the Word, powerful and rich, we speak in an audible voice, “Amen.”

The Ninety and Nine, a hymn for today

Writing the words of an old hymn so we might speak aloud, or if desired, to sing. But there is so much comfort in reading words from over a hundred years back, and feeling as if they were penned today. Oh, how they shed new light on familiar themes:

There were nine-ty and nine that safe-ly lay In the shelter of the fold, But one was out on the hills a-way, Far off from the gates of gold,

A-way on the mountains wild and bare, A-way from the tender Shepherd’s care,
A-way from the tender Shepherd’s care.

Lord, Thou hast here Thy nine-ty and nine; Are they not enough for Thee? But the Shepherd made an-swer:

“This of mine has wan-dered a-way from Me, And al-though the road be rough and steep, I go to  the des-ert to find My sheep,

I go to the des-ert to find My sheep.”

But none of the ran-somed ev-er knew How deep were the wa-ters crossed; Nor how dark was the night That the Lord passed thro’

Ere He found His sheep that was lost. Out in the des-ert he heard its cry Sick and help-less, and read-y to die, 

Sick and help-less, and read-y to die.

Lord, whence are those blood drops all the way,

That mark out the moun-tain’s track?

They were shed for one who had gone a-stray Ere the Shep-herd could bring Him back. Lord whence are Thy hands so rent and torn? They’re pierced to-night by many a thorn, 

They’re pierced to-night by man-y a thorn.

But all thro’ the mount-tains, thun-der riv’n, And up from the rock-y steep, There a-rose a glad cry to the gate of heav”n;

“Rejoice! I have found my sheep!”

And the an-gels echoed a-round the throne, Rejoice for the Lord brings back His own, 

Rejoice for the Lord brings back His own.

Elizabeth C. Clephane had written a poem that found it’s way in 1874 in a penny newspaper of those days. Ira D. Sankey, a song leader for Evangelist D.L. Moody, cut it out and put it in his music notebook.

At a meeting in which Moody gave a sermon on the Good Shepherd,  he asked Sankey, “Do you have an appropriate solo in which to close?”

It is told that Ira Sankey prayed a quick prayer and turned to the poem in his notebook, and, on-the-spot, wrote its melody!

Today, so many years later, melody known or not, the words comfort, touch, and move us to hope deeper and believe greater in our dear Good Shepherd’s love. We must read it aloud and rejoice in our hearts that our Good Shepherd never tires to seek and to save the lost.

The old hymns, they remind us that He loves most. 

And His good Word reminds us that His love never fails. (1 Corinthians 13).

God’s love is deep and wide. Human-kind can’t comprehend God. Perhaps we spend our lifetimes understanding His amazing grace. And then,

one day, we shall see Him, face to face.

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