Quotes and Poems

Freewill

2009-09-04T06:46:00.001-05:00

Everyone's freewill plays in a playpen.

sarah jones

Idols

2009-09-01T13:07:00.001-05:00

Ever so often we love the lake's reflection instead of the lake itself.

sarah jones

Prayer

2009-06-29T21:23:00.001-05:00

"Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?" -Corrie Ten Boom

"Prayer is not preparation for a greater work, prayer is the greater work."
-Oswald Chambers

"It is with the heart well kept as it is with the eye; if a small dust get into the eye it will never cease twinkling and watering till it has wept it out: so the upright heart cannot be at rest till it has wept out its troubles and poured out its complaints before the Lord" -- John Flavel

If He Denies Us

2009-04-13T09:12:00.000-05:00

The swarms of corrupt lusts, worldly affections,
and carnal desires, which are found with us—are
ever opposing the glory of Jesus, and exciting us
to seek that happiness in self, which can only be
found in the spiritual reign of Jesus, in the heart.

"The Lord bestows grace and glory; no good
thing does He withhold from those whose
walk is blameless." Psalm 84:11

The Lord delights in the prosperity of His people;
therefore withholds no good thing from them. Yet,
it is not our erring judgment—but His unfailing
wisdom—which must determine what is best for
us. We would pray to be in the height of earthly
comfort—and on the pinnacle of worldly joy. But
in love, God answers by keeping us in the safe
valley of humility and self-abasement. Granting
our requests, is not always the effect of love.

So kind and gracious is our dear Savior—that He
crosses our wills, and denies our requests—when
they are contrary to our spiritual interest. Thus in
love, He answers our prayers—by withholding what
we ask for! He gives what He knows is best for us.
If we ask what is harmful for us to receive—shall
we complain of God's love—if He denies us?

"Those who seek the Lord will not lack any good
thing." Psalm 34:10

William Mason, "A Spiritual Treasury")

Femininity

2009-02-15T16:28:00.000-06:00

"Indeed, I have the most affectionate and jealous regard for every right that inheres in my dower of American womanhood. I claim and enjoy the right to be as cultured, as learned, as useful, and—if you please—as ornamental in society and at home as my individual limitations will permit. I have no wrongs, no grievances, no crying need to usurp lines of work that will break down the barriers God has set between men and women. I am not in rebellion against legal statutes, nor the canons of well-established decency and refinement in feminine usage, and, finally, I am so inordinately proud of being a well-born Southern woman, with a full complement of honorable great-grandfathers and blue-blooded, stainless great-grandmothers that I have neither pretext nor inclination to revolt against mankind."

Augusta Jane Evans, Devota

Repentance and Forgiveness

2009-02-15T16:22:00.004-06:00

If we truly come to God for mercy, the greatness of our sin will be no impediment to pardon. ... The proper use of this subject is, to encourage sinners whose consciences are burdened with a sense of guilt, immediately to go to God through Christ for mercy. If you go in [this manner], the arms of mercy are open to embrace you. You need not be at all the more fearful of coming because of your sins, let them be ever so black. If you had as much guilt lying on each of your souls as all the wicked men in the world, and all the damned souls in hell; yet if you come to God for mercy, sensible of your own vileness, and seeking pardon only through the free mercy of God in Christ, you would not need to be afraid; the greatness of your sins would be no impediment to your pardon. Therefore, if your souls be burdened, and you are distressed for fear of hell, you need not bear that burden and distress any longer. If you are but willing, you may freely come and unload yourselves, and cast all your burdens on Christ, and rest in him.

Jonathan Edwards

Rebellion

2009-02-01T01:53:00.003-06:00

It is altogether man's nature to seek praise for that which he did not render, to climb that which is not his own, to favor his own vain imagination and counsel, and to take pleasure in his own image.

sarah jones

His Purposes

2009-01-30T21:30:00.001-06:00

God often takes a course for accomplishing His purposes directly contrary to what our narrow views would prescribe. He brings a death upon our feelings, wishes and prospects when He is about to give us the desire of our hearts.

John Newton

Ecclesiastes 7:14

2009-01-10T21:46:00.001-06:00

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other.

Christ's Comfort

2009-01-10T10:27:00.002-06:00

During the past night I have again been called to
suffer much bodily affliction and very severe pain--
but was favored with such sweet comfort from my
precious Savior that it seemed light; nay, I thought
I could willingly bear a life of such suffering--if I
might constantly enjoy His presence!

Oh, how delightful was the hope of an eternity of
glory, and how sweet the thought that when life's
journey was ended, the veil would be drawn aside,
and no cloud ever again intervene to hide from my
soul, even for one moment, the lovely countenance
of my adorable Jesus!

Ten thousand thanks to you, dearest Savior, for this
love-glimpse! I long for more tokens of Your love,
and thirst for more constant communion with You!

Such is my frailty, that I am ever prone to sin. Come,
precious Jesus! chase away these thick clouds, and
let me behold Your lovely countenance, and be so
captivated with Your charms, that I may never more
give my heart to earthly objects!

Ruth Bryan

2008-12-31T23:27:00.001-06:00

The chief good of the soul consists in resemblance to God; i.e.; when, by means of knowing him, she is wholly transformed into him."

John Calvin

Repentance's Companion

2008-12-31T22:06:00.003-06:00

All the while that we walk by faith and not by sight, the tear of repentance glitters in the eye of faith.

C.H. Spurgeon

Fleeting Elements

2008-12-30T02:48:00.006-06:00

I chase the wind when I chase my own dreams.

I embrace the mist when I embrace my own will.

I mimic an echo when I prattle vainly.

I love a shadow when I love self.

sarah jones

Repentance

2008-12-02T22:59:00.001-06:00

Godly sorrow leads people to run to God.

Tabletalk December 2008

Convicting Prayer

2008-12-02T03:44:00.000-06:00

No one prays for anything deeply who has not been deeply alarmed.

Martin Luther

Contrast

2008-11-13T22:52:00.002-06:00

Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God.

John Calvin

Consider The Good Things of God

2008-11-13T19:30:00.003-06:00

We are accordingly urged by our own evil things to consider the good things of God; and, indeed, we cannot aspire to Him in earnest until we have begun to be displeased with ourselves. For what man is not disposed to rest in himself? Who, in fact, does not thus rest, so long as he is contented with his own endowments, and unconscious or unmindful of his misery? Every person, therefore, on coming to the knowledge of himself, is not only urged to seek God, but is also led as by the hand to find him.

John Calvin

Faith

2008-11-07T22:15:00.003-06:00

Spiritually it is a blessed thing to leave altogether the shores of sight and feeling and to say goodbye to inward feelings; cheering Providences, signs, tokens, and so forth. It is glorious to be far out on the ocean of divine love, believing in God and steering for heaven straight away by the direction of the Word of God.

Charles Spurgeon

Holy, Holy, Holy

2008-11-01T16:43:00.002-05:00

When God touches the earth, the place is holy. When God appears in history, the time is holy.

R.C. Sproul

God's Glory Alone

2008-11-01T02:53:00.000-05:00

For what accords better and more aptly with faith than to acknowledge ourselves divested of all virtue that we may be clothed by God, devoid of all goodness that we may be filled by Him, the slaves of sin that he may give us freedom, blind that he may enlighten, lame that he may cure, and feeble that he may sustain us; to strip ourselves of all ground of glorying that he alone may shine forth glorious, and we be glorified in him?

John Calvin

"I will help thee, saith the Lord." {#Isa 41:14}

2008-09-03T20:08:00.001-05:00

This morning let us hear the Lord Jesus speak to each one of us: "I will help
thee." "It is but a small thing for me, thy God, to help thee. Consider what I
have done already. What! not help thee? Why, I bought thee with my blood. What!
not help thee? I have died for thee; and if I have done the greater, will I not
do the less? Help thee! It is the least thing I will ever do for thee; I have
done more, and will do more. Before the world began I chose thee. I made the
covenant for thee. I laid aside my glory and became a man for thee; I gave up
my life for thee; and if I did all this, I will surely help thee now. In
helping thee, I am giving thee what I have bought for thee already. If thou
hadst need of a thousand times as much help, I would give it thee; thou
requirest little compared with what I am ready to give. ‘Tis much for thee to
need, but it is nothing for me to bestow. ‘Help thee?’ Fear not! If there
were an ant at the door of thy granary asking for help, it would not ruin thee
to give him a handful of thy wheat; and thou art nothing but a tiny insect at
the door of my all sufficiency. ‘I will help thee.’"

O my soul, is not this enough? Dost thou need more strength than the omnipotence
of the United Trinity? Dost thou want more wisdom than exists in the Father,
more love than displays itself in the Son, or more power than is manifest in
the influences of the Spirit? Bring hither thine empty pitcher! Surely this
well will fill it. Haste, gather up thy wants, and bring them here—thine
emptiness, thy woes, thy needs. Behold, this river of God is full for thy
supply; what canst thou desire beside? Go forth, my soul, in this thy might.
The Eternal God is thine helper!

Fear not, I am with thee, O, be not dismay’d!

I, I am thy God, and will still give thee aid.

Spurgeon

THE CHRISTIAN JOURNEY

2008-04-14T21:41:00.000-05:00

Life is a journey, often a short one, and always uncertain.
But there is another journey.

The believer is traveling through a waste howling wilderness, to another and a glorious region, where ineffable delight and happiness await us.

The road is narrow, the entrance strait, so strait that thousands miss it and perish in the wilderness. But true believers, under the teaching and convoy of the Holy Spirit, find it and walk in it.

The King, in His infinite love and compassion, has made a hedge about them, separating and defending them from the many beasts of prey that lurk around them; and although they hear their howlings and behold their threatenings, they are safe from their power.

But their strongest foe is within themselves; a heart deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. From this there is no escape but by constant watchfulness,and earnest cries to their best Friend and Guide for protection.

Were it not for this faithful Guide, how often, discouraged by reason of the way, would they turn back!
But He....
watches over them by night and by day,
strengthens them when weak,
upholds them when falling,
encourages them when cast down,
defends them when attacked,
provides for them when in need,
leads them by living streams, and
causes them there to lie down in pleasant
pastures, and on sunny banks.
And as they advance they obtain brighter views of the good land they are nearing, and they long to see the King in His beauty, and the land that is yet very far off, and to meet those that have already arrived on that happy shore.

Grace Gems

2008-04-14T00:46:00.002-05:00

In your salvation, do not cast out good works while ushering in saving grace. The first comfirms the second while the second produces the first.

sarah jones

Useful Uselessness

2007-09-15T01:35:00.000-05:00

Wisps of dust and churns of wind
echos of sound and prattle of speech
imprinted with Your fingerprint.

Feeble spirit and coward heart
joyless touch of loveless breaths
gripped within Your hand of completeness.

Vessel that resounds emptiness
and drinks in the fruit of voidness
used by Your hand to acquire Your glory.

Blessed be the name of the Lord this day.

sarah jones

God's Attribute

2007-09-08T23:03:00.000-05:00

All of mankind's accomplishments in word and deed is but a fleeting thought never to be remembered again when compared to my God.

sarah jones

For His Glory

2007-09-01T17:05:00.000-05:00

GOD'S first and greatest object is his own glory.

There was a time, before all time, when there was no day, except the Ancient of days- when God dwelt alone in the magnificence of his sublime solitude.

Whether he should create, or not create was a question depending upon the answer to another question- "Would it be to his honor or not?"

He determined that he would glorify himself by creating; but, in creating, beyond all doubt, his motive was his own glory.

And since that time, he has ever ruled the earth, and blessed it with the same object in his infinite mind-his own glory and honor.

A lesser motive for God to have, would be less than divine.

The very highest virtue of God is for him to magnify himself in all his greatness as the Infinite and the Eternal. Whatever, then, God permits or does, he does with this one motive- his own glory.

And even salvation, costly though it was, and infinitely a benefaction to us, had for its first object, and for its grand result, the exaltation of the Being and of the attributes of the Supreme Ruler.

It is the highest position to which you or I could attain--to live for God.

How Poor Are You?

2007-08-25T07:48:00.000-05:00

One day a father, of a very wealthy family, took his son on a trip to the country with the firm purpose of showing his son how poor people can be. They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family. On their return from the trip, the father asked his son,"How was the trip?" "It was great Dad!" "Did you see how poor people can be?" the father asked. "Oh yeah," said the son. "So what did you learn from the trip?" asked the father. The son answered, " I saw we have one dog and they have four. We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end. We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night. Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon. We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight. We have servants who serve us, but they serve others. We buy our food, but they grow theirs. We have walls around our property to protect us, they have friends to protect them." With this the boy's father was speechless. Then his son added, "Thanks Dad for showing me how poor we are."

Author Unknown

Benefits of the Law

2007-08-02T09:01:00.000-05:00

“If men do not understand the law, they will not feel that they are sinners. And if they are not consciously sinners, they will never value the sin offering. There is no healing a man till the law has wounded him, no making him alive till the law has slain him.”

Charles Spurgeon

Sleep

2007-07-28T22:46:00.000-05:00

I can't sleep as you sleep so I'll pray.
May you sleep in peace and dream of glory day.

May your mind dream of heavenly hosts and His might.
May His hand safeguard and cover you through the night.

And when you awaken may your soul find peace in Him.

May you sing of His mercy and goodness with increase.
Then once again lie down in grace to sleep in peace.

sarah jones

Familiar Voices

2007-07-18T01:40:00.000-05:00

The evening is far spent as I lazily doze on my seventeenth century bed. My dresser reflects the ages of people unknown. My nightlight gives off the same orange hue as the sunset I just witnessed earlier which adds to the coziness of my tiny, antique room. My lace, sheer curtains blow gently in the breeze which finds its way in through the slat of my window...it's fresh. The crickets are singing for me. I smile as I hear southern speech drift into my room. My mother's voice carries in it the echos of generations before her. Laughter plays on her voice and she is soothing. I remember my grandmother. She too had that southern song which rang from her voice. Soon the song of my whole family plays in my head and I am back into my childhood days. The smells...the voices...the feelings...they are my memories that are so sweet in my mind. I love my familiar voices...may they live on into eternity.

sarah jones

Immanuel

2007-07-08T07:26:00.000-05:00

When once I mourned a load of sin;
When conscience felt a wound within;
When all my works were thrown away;
When on my knees I knelt to pray,
Then, blissful hour, remembered well,
I learned Thy love, Immanuel.

When storms of sorrow toss my soul;
When waves of care around me roll;
When comforts sink, when joys shall flee;
When hopeless griefs shall gape for me,
One word the tempest's rage shall quell--
That word, Thy name, Immanuel.
When for the truth I suffer shame;
When foes pour scandal on my name;
When cruel taunts and jeers abound;
When "Bulls of Bashan" gird me round,
Secure within Thy tower I'll dwell--
That tower, Thy grace, Immanuel.

When hell enraged lifts up her roar;
When Satan stops my path before;
When fiends rejoice and wait my end;
When legioned hosts their arrows send,
Fear not, my soul, but hurl at hell
Thy battle-cry, Immanuel.

When down the hill of life I go;
When o'er my feet death's waters flow;
When in the deep'ning flood I sink;
When friends stand weeping on the brink,
I'll mingle with my last farewell
Thy lovely name, Immanuel.

When tears are banished from mine eye;
When fairer worlds than these are nigh;
When heaven shall fill my ravished sight;
When I shall bathe in sweet delight,
One joy all joys shall far excel,
To see Thy face, Immanuel.

Written by Charles H. Spurgeon at the age of 18

Death and Deceasing

2007-04-17T21:35:00.000-05:00

There is an essential difference between the decease of the godly and the death of the ungodly. Death comes to the ungodly man as a penal infliction, but to the righteous as a summons to his Father's palace. To the sinner it is an execution, to the saint an undressing from his sins and infirmities. Death to the wicked is the King of terrors. Death to the saint is the end of terrors, the commencement of glory.

—Charles Spurgeon

Silence of Life

2007-04-03T20:38:00.001-05:00

I sit contently and watch the sunbeams stream quietly through my window and dance in slippers upon my crystal. They wrap my body in folds of calming warmth and chase dark shadows from their sleeping places. They delight in making playful rainbows from bits of falling raindrops or muddy play holes. Soon I know this morning will fade to evening without a whisper of goodbye. Nighttime will hush this body to slumber and close these weary eyes. The moon and stars will shine as nightlights and cast a dim but guiding light to show my way to this or that when wakened by restless dreams. Once back in bed after the night's flight I'll drift back to dreaming and rest on without burdened thought. I'll sleep in silent waves of air that come and go without a care and fill my body with its life that I might wake to morn's next light. All this is done for my delight by Him on whom I lean Who carries out His work for me and performs the silence of life.

sarah jones

Plans and Purposes

2007-03-16T01:06:00.000-05:00

Lord, I give up all my own plans and purposes,
All my own desires and hopes,
And accept Thy will for my life.
I give myself, my life, my all
Utterly to Thee to be Thine forever.
Fill me and seal me with Thy Holy Spirit.
Use me as Thou wilt, send me where Thou wilt.
And work out Thy whole will in my life, at any cost,
Now and forever.

Betty Stam

Continual Repentance

2007-02-27T16:27:00.000-06:00

O God of Grace,

Thou hast imputed my sin to my substitute,

and hast imputed his righteousness to my soul,

clothing me with bridegroom’s robe,

decking me with jewels of holiness.

But in my Christian walk I am still in rags;

my best prayers are stained with sin;

my penitential tears are so much impurity;

my confessions of wrong are so many aggravations of sin;

my receiving the Spirit is tinctured with selfishness.

I need to repent of my repentance;

I need my tears to be washed;

I have no robe to bring to cover my sins,

no loom to weave my own righteousness;

I am always standing clothed in filthy garments,

and by grace am always receiving change of raiment,

for thou dost always justify the ungodly;

I am always going into the far country,

and always returning home as a prodigal,

always saying, Father, forgive me,

and thou art always bringing forth the best robe.

Every morning let me wear it,

every evening return in it,

go out to the day’s work in it,

be married in it,

be wound in death in it,

stand before the great white throne in it,

enter heaven in it shining as the sun.

Grant me never to lose sight of

the exceeding sinfulness of sin,

the exceeding righteousness of salvation,

the exceeding glory of Christ,

the exceeding beauty of holiness,

the exceeding wonder of grace.

From The Valley of Vision - A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions

Edited by Arthur Bennett

Worldly Entertainment

2007-02-17T20:03:00.000-06:00

"...Always we need to remember that entertainment and what we allow to pass in front of our eyes are not isolated from our lives. Our eyes are like gates to our hearts. What we allow in will stay there, resonate there, and both change and affect us. What we allow in will soon become manifest in what we pour out through our lives." Here is the entire article.

Tim Challies

Not What My Hands Have Done

2007-02-11T23:12:00.000-06:00

I have posted this hymn before, but it is worthy of re-posting.

Not what my hands have done can save my guilty soul;
Not what my toiling flesh has borne can make my spirit whole.
Not what I feel or do can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears can bear my awful load.

Your voice alone, O Lord, can speak to me of grace;
Your power alone, O Son of God, can all my sin erase.
No other work but Yours, no other blood will do;
No strength but that which is divine can bear me safely through.

Thy work alone, O Christ, can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God, can give me peace within.
Thy love to me, O God, not mine, O Lord, to Thee,
Can rid me of this dark unrest, And set my spirit free.

I bless the Christ of God; I rest on love divine;
And with unfaltering lip and heart I call this Savior mine.
His cross dispels each doubt; I bury in His tomb
Each thought of unbelief and fear, each lingering shade of gloom.

I praise the God of grace; I trust His truth and might;
He calls me His, I call Him mine, My God, my joy and light.
’Tis He Who saveth me, and freely pardon gives;
I love because He loveth me, I live because He lives.

George William Martin

I'm Yours Save Me!

2007-01-22T01:39:00.001-06:00

I can't love You
are You asking me to?
I can't obey You
are You asking me to?
I can't serve You
are You asking me to?
I can't give up my pride for You
are you asking me to?
There is nothing that I can do for You that will please a holy, holy, holy God. I am completely opposite of you. I am a failure and always will be. There is nothing that I do that is good and righteous. My heart is full of iniquity and my mind is occupied with the things that will please me. I am just fooling myself when I think that anything I do measures up to Your standards...ever! I can't even pray right or even go about living a life that is pleasing in Your sight because I make it all about me. Oh, please save me! Save me from my sin and help me to see myself for what I am and PLEASE help me to see the valuable gift of salvation You have given me. Open my eyes open my heart take this cold stone from me and give me a heart after You. Help me to serve You even if it meant that I would never go to heaven. To serve You for Your glory and not for my own sake. Please help me not to pray pretty words that don't mean a thing. Help me to be awe struck with You that I glory in Your presence while in prayer to You. Take away my strength and fill me with Your strength not for my own use but for You to use me any way You choose. I cannot but You can...I'm Yours save me for Your name sake.

If You Could See Me Now

2007-01-15T22:11:00.000-06:00

Our prayers have all been answered.
I finally arrived.
The healing that had been delayed
has now been realized.
No one's in a hurry.
There's no schedule to keep.
We're all enjoying Jesus,
just sitting at His feet.

If you could see me now,
I'm walking streets of gold.
If you could see me now,
I'm standing strong and whole.
If you could see me now,
you'd know I've seen His face.
If you could see me now,
you'd know the pain is erased.
You wouldn't want me
to ever leave this place,
If you could only see me now.

My light and temporary trials
have worked out for my good,
To know it brought Him glory
when I misunderstood.
Though we've had our sorrows,
they can never compare.
What Jesus has in store for us,
no language can share.
You wouldn't want me to
ever leave this perfect place

If you could only see me now
If you could see me now
If you could only see me now

Kim Noblitt

Chosen

2006-12-29T21:33:00.000-06:00

A creature you are that slithers and writhes.
Don't turn away and think otherwise.
For when suddenly you turn to the echo of your voice
and see the mist your labor has formed,
when the lyrics you've prattled and the song you've danced
is the symphony of madness that has led your trance,
when the cheering crowd is the jeering of hell
and the roar of your strength is the mush of decay,
when the mirror reflects the dark shadow you cast,
and your mind is a chamber that holds you fast,
then is the day for your rejoicing!
For He has paralleled His holy gulf and His infinite grace
to the bottomless cavern of your sin and the vastness of your evilness.
And like a whirlwind with unknown speed
He'll show His might and salvation you need.
For there is only one remedy for you
only one Savior who can rescue evil hearts.
By His hand He'll rescue you, old man
from evil work done by your own hand.
But do not think He rescues once
'tis a lifetime of rescues He performs for you.
For you would surely fall from His care
if life were left in your small hand to bear.
So come to His light to His purifying blood
that cleanses daily your undoing.
Be washed from your sin and receive your healing
that you may be a vessel for His glory to be revealing.

sarah jones

A Slice of Grace For the Laodicean Race

2006-12-13T00:36:00.002-06:00

Revelation 3:15-18

There was a beggar who thought himself so grand,
so wealthy, so happy in all of the land.
From morning till dust he'd borrow and trade
for handfuls of pleasure that always would fade.
He prized his treasures which he horded away
and knew not his folly that all would decay.
His person, his looks he stated so fair
but never bothered to look and take care.
For he was wretched, miserable, and blind,
poor and naked with no Savior to find.
But, at last, without merit of his own
the Savior, Jesus, took out his heart of stone.
He's been redeemed, clothed, and given gold
and a Savior that always keeps him ahold.

sarah jones

A Military Christmas Salute

2006-12-05T19:07:00.000-06:00

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.
Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.
My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn’t loud, and it wasn’t too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn’t quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.
My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
A lone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.
“What are you doing?” I asked without fear,
“Come in this moment, it’s freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!”

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts.
To the window that danced with a warm fire’s light
Then he sighed and he said “It’s really all right,
I’m out here by choice. I’m here every night.”
It’s my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separate you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I’m proud to stand here like my fathers before me.
My Gramps died at ‘Pearl on a day in December.”
Then he sighed, “That’s a Christmas ‘Gram always remembers.”
My dad stood his watch in the jungles of ‘Nam”,
And now it is my turn and so, here I am.
I’ve not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he’s sure got her smile.

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The red, white, and blue…An American flag.
I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.
I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother..
Who stand at the front against any and all,
To ensure for all time that this flag will not fall.”

“So go back inside,” he said, “harbor no fight,
Your family is waiting and I’ll be all right.”
“But isn’t there something I can do, at the least,
Give you money,” I asked, “or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you’ve done,
For being away from your wife and your son.”
Then his eye welled a tear that held no regret,
“Just tell us you love us, and never forget.
To fight for our rights back at home while we’re gone,
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.
For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled.
Is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us.”

Author unknown

Sin Against God

2006-11-05T15:49:00.000-06:00

“Sin is the dare of God’s justice,
the rape of His mercy,
the jeer of His patience,
the slight of His power,
and the contempt of His love.”

John Bunyan (1628-1688)

Rock of Ages, Cleft for Me

2006-11-04T21:25:00.000-06:00

1. Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood
From Thy riven side which flowed
Be of sin the double cure,
Cleanse me from its guilt and power.

2. Not the labors of my hands
Can fulfil Thy Law's demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

3. Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helplees, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly,--
Wash me, Savior, or I die!

4. While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyelids close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment-throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee!

by Augustus Montague Toplady, 1740-1778

Hymn #376
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: 1 Cor. 10:4
Author: Augustus M. Toplady, 1776, alt.
Composer: Thomas Hastings, 1830
Tune: "Toplady"

My Prayer For You

2006-10-18T23:45:00.000-05:00

Psalm 23

As I hold you my child of love
I pray for you to Him above.

Upon my Savior my soul does rest
and sleeps in waves of pure caress.

For His own sake the unstained ground
is where my feet are always bound.

I do not worry of frights without
His staff does hold me close about.

A banquet He prepares for me each day
as my foes look on in utter dismay.

With fragrant oil that purifies
my constant thought of Him never dies.

His grace and mercy forever mine
one day He’ll lead me home divine.

sarah jones a lullaby

He Created All Good Things!

2006-10-17T22:50:00.000-05:00

You say,
where did the moon come from where did the sky come from where did the clouds come from
He created all good things!

You say,
where did the goose come from where did the frog come from where did the worm come from
He created all good things!

You say,
where did the trees come from where did the rocks come from where did the sand come from
He created all good things!

You say,
where did my sister come from where did my brother come from where did I come from.
He created all good things!

He is the Creator, He is the Creator, He is the Creator of all good things!

sarah jones a lullaby

Himself

2006-10-15T10:59:00.000-05:00

Once it was the blessing, Now it is the Lord;
Once it was the feeling, Now it is His Word.
Once His gifts I wanted, Now the Giver own;
Once I sought for healing, Now Himself alone.

Once 'twas painful trying, Now 'tis perfect trust;
Once a half salvation, Now the uttermost.
Once 'twas ceaseless holding, Now He holds me fast;
Once 'twas constant drifting, Now my anchor's cast.

Once 'twas busy planning, Now 'tis trustful prayer;
Once 'twas anxious caring, Now He has the care.
Once 'twas what I wanted, Now what Jesus says;
Once 'twas constant asking, Now 'tis ceaseless praise.

Once it was my working, His it hence shall be;
Once I tried to use Him, Now He uses me.
Once the power I wanted, Now the Mighty One;
Once for self I labored, Now for Him alone.

Once I hoped in Jesus, Now I know He's mine;
Once my lamps were dying, Now they brightly shine.
Once for death I waited, Now His coming hail;
And my hopes are anchored, Safe within the vail.

by A. B. Simpson

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We Would See Jesus!

2006-10-14T08:29:00.000-05:00

Have you heard the story of the young educated preacher who regaled his
audience week after week with all his knowledge and oratory? He was
gaining in popularity with certain classes in his congregation, but
there was one poor soul who detected the missing Saviour. After a few
weeks, this parishioner slipped into the meeting house and placed a note
on the pulpit Bible which read, in the words of our text (John 12:21),
*/“Sir, we would see Jesus!”/* When the young man ascended to the pulpit
that next Lord’s Day morning, smiling at his audience with all the usual
confidence and composure, then his eye saw the poor man’s note. The
smile faded, the words wouldn’t come; he stood speechless for a moment.
Then, when he could find the words he uttered: “Something is wrong, my
friends. We will not have a sermon today. Perhaps we shall have an
explanation by next Sunday. I would simply ask you to sing another hymn
and be dismissed.”

This young man then clumsily left the pulpit and went back to his house,
without speaking to anyone. He was in great remorse. Those words burned
their way into his soul—*/“Sir, we would see Jesus!”/*—and during the
long week to follow, after many struggles and much soul agony he was
blessed to find access at a throne of grace and truly to “see Jesus” as
he had never seen Him before.

At the church on the following Lord’s Day, the man preached Christ and
Him crucified with power. He admitted that he had previously flaunted
his learning and had bypassed the message of grace and the Cross of
Christ, but promised that by God’s help he would never fail to set forth
the Lord Jesus in his preaching. His old note-writer was greatly blessed
by that sermon, and so on the third Sunday when this young preacher
walked up to his pulpit, he found scrawled in the same handwriting as
before these words, */“Then were the disciples glad when they saw the
Lord” /*(John 20:20)!

From Your Encourager, W. W. Fulton

Not What These Hands have Done

2006-10-09T00:30:00.000-05:00

1. Not what these hands have done
Can save this guilty soul;
Not what this toiling flesh has borne
Can make my spirit whole.

2. Not what I feel or do
Can give me peace with God;
Not all my prayers and sighs and tears
Can bear my awe-full load.

3. Thy work alone, O Christ,
Can ease this weight of sin;
Thy blood alone, O Lamb of God,
Can give me peace within.

4. Thy love to me, O God,
Not mine, O Lord to Thee,
Can rid me of this dark unrest
And set my spirit free.

5. Thy grace alone, O God,
To me can pardon speak;
Thy power alone, O Son of God,
Can this sore bondage break.

6. I bless the Christ of God,
I rest on love divine,
And with unfaltering lip and heart
I call this Savior mine.

Hymn #389
The Lutheran Hymnal
Text: Eph. 2:8, 9
Author: Horatius Bonar, 1861, cento
Composer: Samuel Howard, 1762
Tune: "St. Bride"

Sinless Child

2006-10-07T13:52:00.000-05:00

Matthew 1&2

Sinless Child God was so gracious.
Born in a manger the star His nightlight.
Wrapped up in poorness cooed with angelic song.

Lived with the discarded spoke with the Maker.
Gave to His people despite their hard hearts.
Stretched out His hands received our guilt.

Sinless Savior He was so gracious.
Laid in a tomb darkness His blanket.
Wrapped up in poorness all hushed in their places.

Rose from that grave in power and splendor.
Gives to His people soft hearts for salvation.
Stretch out your hands child receive His saving grace.

sarah jones a lullaby

Salvation

2006-10-06T00:10:00.000-05:00

We are never saved by the strength of our faith but by the strength of Christ Jesus.

Paul Washer

If So You Be a Child of His

2006-10-03T01:26:00.000-05:00

1John 1&2

Know your God my child.
In Him there is no darkness .
For He is light which fills our hearts
If so you be a child of His.

Sinful are you my child.
But He is just and true
To forgive your ways
If so you be a child of His.

Follow His steps my child
Hold tight His laws in faith
For this is how you know for sure
You be a child of His.

sarah jones a lullaby

I Will Rejoice Over Them To Do Them Good Jeremiah 32:41

2006-09-27T17:34:00.000-05:00

How heart cheering to the believer is the delight which God has in his saints! We cannot see any reason in ourselves why the Lord should take pleasure in us; we cannot take delight in ourselves, for we often have to groan, being burdened; conscious of our sinfulness, and deploring our unfaithfulness; and we fear that God’s people cannot take much delight in us, for they must perceive so much of our imperfections and our follies, that they may rather lament our infirmities than admire our graces. But we love to dwell upon this transcendent truth, this glorious mystery: that as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so does the Lord rejoice over us. We do not read anywhere that God delighteth in the cloud capped mountains, or the sparkling stars, but we do read that he delighteth in the habitable parts of the earth, and that his delights are with the sons of men. We do not find it written that even angels give his soul delight; nor doth he say, concerning cherubim and seraphim, "Thou shalt be called Hephzibah, for the Lord delighteth in thee"; but he does say all that to poor fallen creatures like ourselves, debased and depraved by sin, but saved, exalted, and glorified by his grace. In what strong language he expresses his delight in his people! Who could have conceived of the eternal One as bursting forth into a song? Yet it is written, "He will rejoice over thee with joy, he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." As he looked upon the world he had made, he said, "It is very good"; but when he beheld those who are the purchase of Jesus’ blood, his own chosen ones, it seemed as if the great heart of the Infinite could restrain itself no longer, but overflowed in divine exclamations of joy. Should not we utter our grateful response to such a marvellous declaration of his love, and sing, "I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation?"

Charles Spurgeon

What Is The World To Me

2006-09-24T19:02:00.000-05:00

1. What is the world to me

With all its vaunted pleasure

When Thou, and Thou alone,

Lord Jesus, art my Treasure!

Thou only, dearest Lord,

My soul's Delight shalt be;

Thou art my Peace, my Rest,-

What is the world to me!

2. The world is like a cloud

And like a vapor fleeting,

A shadow that declines,

Swift to its end retreating.

My Jesus doth abide,

Though all things fade and flee;

My everlasting Rock,-

What is the world to me!

3. The world seeks to be praised

And honored by the mighty,

Yet never once reflects

That they are frail and flighty.

But what I truly prize

Above all things is He,

My Jesus, He alone,-

What is the world to me!

4. The world seeks after wealth

And all that Mammon offers,

Yet never is content

Though gold should fill it coffers.

I have a higher good,

Content with it I'll be:

My Jesus is my Wealth,-

What is the world to me!

5. The world is sorely grieved

Whenever it is slighted

Or when its hollow fame

And honor have been blighted.

Christ, Thy reproach I bear

Long as it pleaseth Thee;

I'm honored by my Lord,-

What is the world to me!

6. The world with wanton pride

Exalts its sinful pleasures

And for them foolishly

Gives up the heavenly treasures.

Let others love the world

With all its vanity;

I love the Lord, my God,-

What is the world to me!

7. The world abideth not;

Lo, like a flash 'twill vanish;

With all it gorgeous pomp

Pale death it cannot banish;

Its riches pass away,

And all its joys must flee;

But Jesus doth abide,-

What is the world to me!

8. What is the world to me!

My Jesus is my Treasure,

My Life, my Health, my Wealth,

My Friend, my Love, my Pleasure,

My Joy, my Crown, my All,

My Bliss eternally.

Once more, then, I declare:

What is the world to me!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Notes:

Hymn #430 from The Lutheran Hymnal

Text: 1 John 2: 15-17

Author: Georg M. Pfefferkorn, 1667

Translated by: August Crull,1923, alt.

Titled: "Was frag' ich nach der Welt"

Composer: Ahasverus Fritsch, 1679

Tune: "Was frag' ich nach der Welt"

You Are Chosen

2006-09-23T12:58:00.000-05:00

The little seed lay quivering, a tremor of excitement and fear running through him. Would he be chosen? Would he be picked out from the midst of hundreds of seeds? Oh, am I too brown, or maybe too light? Would it be better if I were more round and not so funny shaped? What if my shell is too hard or maybe not hard enough? Oh, the delicious thrill of waiting, expecting! One minute he was sure he would be chosen--the next moment he was in despair thinking he wouldn't be. The other seeds seemed to be waiting patiently, as if nothing else mattered except lying forever in the dark bag.

Oh! Something is happening! Oh, if only I could see, thought the little seed; but I can feel; I feel a presence. Sure enough the string that tied the bag shut was removed and the bag fell open a bit--just enough to let some little sunbeams in--delightful little things, sunbeams, but not nearly as exciting as being a seed. The big hand pushed its way into the bag and gently felt the seeds.

"Oh! How can I endure this excitement?" cried the little seed.

The hand closed its fingers over a few seeds and drew them carefully upward through the bag.

"I'm one of them! I'm one of them!" shouted the seed. "I've been chosen!"

His words were muffled because of his closeness with the others, but inside he still shouted, "I've been chosen!"

As the hand opened, the little seed slowly opened his eyes and squinted because the sun was very bright, and he had been in the dark a long time. Little by little, he was able to open his eyes and look around. Oh, the wonders of this lovely world. It was bright with sunlight and a pale green covering was over all he saw. Green, as if the little green blades and leaves hadn't been awake very long. They were dewy with freshness.

"This is the grandest thing, absolutely the grandest thing that's ever happened to me." thought the seed.

As he grew full with beauty, he looked at his companions and said,

"Have you noticed this? Do you see that? Can you smell, feel, hear? Oh, don't let anything pass by; take it all in."

The ecstasy was almost more than the poor little seed could bear.

The hand began to separate the seeds, and the little seed was surprised to find himself alone. What did it mean? Was he to be sent back to the bag, back into the dark? No, that couldn't happen, he had just seen the glorious light, and he was intoxicated with the sweet scents of this beautiful world.

He was being lifted up, looked at, examined thoroughly. He could feel the powerful, searing eyes upon him. His breath was coming fast now; the beauty around him grew dim. He was only conscious of the searching eyes, like liquid fire. Fear was dominant now. He did not understand what was happening, but he knew there was going to be a change, and soon.

The hand placed him in a moist, deep hole, unlike any place he had ever been. It was cold and narrow, but at least he could still see the sunlight blazing bright as ever. With a gentle push, as if to press him in his place, the great hand touched him for an instant. The touch was felt throughout his being and he knew he was loved. From somewhere deep within he knew an image had been imprinted on his very being. As light flooded him and he began to feel a measure of happiness, something fell on him. More of it came.

"Stop." he called, "you are blocking my view. I can't see, not even the dancing sunbeams."

It kept falling and he found it was of the same matter as what he was lying on. Horror filled him as he quickly became completely covered.
"Oh, I thought I was loved. Why didn't you leave me in the bag with the others? Why let me see the lovely colors, feel the warmth of the sun, smell the freshness and then hide me away in this dark, cold hole where surely I will die?"

How long he lay there whimpering, afraid of each sound, he never knew. He couldn't remember when light began to move inside him. He still could not see; it was very dark. He was still cold, but a bright, warm glow from within began to radiate and reveal a new awareness--Life was contained in that seed--a life that would come forth in an abundance! Into a likeness the seed had never seen! And once more the sound of a mighty trumpet was heard in the heart of the little seed. YOU ARE CHOSEN!!

Aunt JoAnn Smiley

Sleeping Child

2006-09-23T12:22:00.000-05:00

Psalm 4:8

Sleep precious child sleep
in peace in peace.
For you dwell in His arms
where safety rests.

sarah jones a lullaby

Calvary

2006-09-05T13:28:00.001-05:00

This is a song that we used to sing when I was a little girl around 3 years old. I sang, "He looked beyond my faults and He saw my knees." when I was 3! Funny, I still remember singing it that way and always thought it meant that He saw me on my knees praying to Him! Anyway, this song has a special place in my heart.

Amazing Grace, shall always be my song of praise.
For it was grace that brought me liberty,
I do not know, just why He came to love me so.
He looked beyond my fault and saw my need.

I shall forever lift mine eyes to Calvary,
To view the cross, where Jesus died for me
How marvelous, His grace that caught my falling soul
He Looked beyond my fault and saw my need.

Lyrics by Dottie Rambo

Where To Look Psalm 121

2006-09-04T08:13:00.000-05:00

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper;
The LORD is your shade at your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

The LORD shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
The LORD shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

A Song Of Ascents

My Eyes Upon Jesus

2006-09-04T07:39:00.000-05:00

Never let me cast mine eyes so loftily that pride fills my heart nor cast my eyes so low that all I see is self.

sarah jones

Wine Mingled with Myrrh Mark 15:23

2006-09-04T06:16:00.000-05:00

"And they gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh: but he received it not." {#Mr 15:23}

A golden truth is couched in the fact that the Saviour put the myrrhed wine cup from his lips. On the heights of heaven the Son of God stood of old, and as he looked down upon our globe he measured the long descent to the utmost depths of human misery; he cast up the sum total of all the agonies which expiation would require, and abated not a jot. He solemnly determined that to offer a sufficient atoning sacrifice he must go the whole way, from the highest to the lowest, from the throne of highest glory to the cross of deepest woe. This myrrhed cup, with its soporific influence, would have stayed him within a little of the utmost limit of misery, therefore he refused it. He would not stop short of all he had undertaken to suffer for his people. Ah, how many of us have pined after reliefs to our grief which would have been injurious to us! Reader, did you never pray for a discharge from hard service or suffering with a petulant and wilful eagerness? Providence has taken from you the desire of your eyes with a stroke. Say, Christian, if it had been said, "If you so desire it, that loved one of yours shall live, but God will be dishonoured", could you have put away the temptation, and said, "Thy will be done?" Oh, it is sweet to be able to say, "My Lord, if for other reasons I need not suffer, yet if I can honour thee more by suffering, and if the loss of my earthly all will bring thee glory, then so let it be. I refuse the comfort, if it comes in the way of thine honour." O that we thus walked more in the footsteps of our Lord, cheerfully enduring trial for his sake, promptly and willingly putting away the thought of self and comfort when it would interfere with our finishing the work which he has given us to do. Great grace is needed, but great grace is provided.

Charles Spurgeon

I am as a Leper

2006-09-03T07:59:00.000-05:00

You choose me before the foundations of the earth.
Will You now cast me away forever?
I once felt the joy of Your salvation
but I did not count it as worthy as myself.
I once felt Your peace after forgiveness
but I did not count it as worthy as myself.
I once felt Your presence surround me during the storms
but I did not count it as worthy as myself.
Your holiness, Your omnipotence, Your loving-kindness, and Your gracious nature I did admit in my prayers
but I did not count it as worthy as myself.
Now I'm here without the feelings of my humanness. My heart feels empty like a tomb. Does a tomb feel anything? This You have left me with that I might see that I indeed am not worthy. I am but a leper that feels nothing but the hole You have left within me. Am I to be forsaken forever because I cannot feel Your joy, Your peace, and Your presence around me? Am I no longer Yours? Does not a leper still have the consequences of injuries and healings even though he is unable to feel them? Do I not still receive Your grace and upholding in my life? I cannot find my way out of this pit that You have put me in. I am tired of looking at the mud walls. Oh, help me to look up that I might see Your loving-kindness toward me! I am grieved that I did not count You more worthy than myself, that I skipped along in the green of Your pastures, that I did not cry when merriment was about me and that I did not kiss Your rod and staff that protected me. You are not a God to be handled and used for my benefit. I am not worthy to look up or to look down. Blindness would be my fate if You were not gracious to me. I am Yours save me. Teach me quickly to reverence You that I may come back into Your loving arms safe from my disease that threatens my life. Come Lord Jesus. Please come quickly!

sarah jones

Although We Sin Grossly Psalm 51

2006-09-03T07:47:00.000-05:00

Have mercy upon me, O God,
According to Your lovingkindness;
According to the multitude of Your tender mercies,
Blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
And cleanse me from my sin.

For I acknowledge my transgressions,
And my sin is always before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned,
And done this evil in Your sight—
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts,
And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me hear joy and gladness,
That the bones You have broken may rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins,
And blot out all my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,
And sinners shall be converted to You.

Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
The God of my salvation,
And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips,
And my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it;
You do not delight in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise.

Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion;
Build the walls of Jerusalem.
Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness,
With burnt offering and whole burnt offering;
Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

A Psalm of David when Nathan the prophet went to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba.

My Dear Child

2006-09-02T10:01:00.000-05:00

Proverbs 3:1-4

In my arms, God hath placed thee
to keep watch, to love, and instruct on His word.
Bethink His laws are thine key
to His peace and long life if they thou ever gird.
Thou art His not mine not thine
to keep His love and faithfulness in thine heart.
Thou before God and man shine
if with His commands thy day thou always start.

sarah jones a lullaby

The Mercy of God Psalm 52:8

2006-09-02T09:15:00.000-05:00

"Meditate a little on this mercy of the Lord. It is tender mercy. With gentle, loving touch, he healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He is as gracious in the manner of his mercy as in the matter of it. It is great mercy. There is nothing little in God; his mercy is like himself—it is infinite. You cannot measure it. His mercy is so great that it forgives great sins to great sinners, after great lengths of time, and then gives great favours and great privileges, and raises us up to great enjoyments in the great heaven of the great God. It is undeserved mercy, as indeed all true mercy must be, for deserved mercy is only a misnomer for justice. There was no right on the sinner’s part to the kind consideration of the Most High; had the rebel been doomed at once to eternal fire he would have richly merited the doom, and if delivered from wrath, sovereign love alone has found a cause, for there was none in the sinner himself. It is rich mercy. Some things are great, but have little efficacy in them, but this mercy is a cordial to your drooping spirits; a golden ointment to your bleeding wounds; a heavenly bandage to your broken bones; a royal chariot for your weary feet; a bosom of love for your trembling heart. It is manifold mercy. As Bunyan says, "All the flowers in God’s garden are double." There is no single mercy. You may think you have but one mercy, but you shall find it to be a whole cluster of mercies. It is abounding mercy. Millions have received it, yet far from its being exhausted; it is as fresh, as full, and as free as ever. It is unfailing mercy. It will never leave thee. If mercy be thy friend, mercy will be with thee in temptation to keep thee from yielding; with thee in trouble to prevent thee from sinking; with thee living to be the light and life of thy countenance; and with thee dying to be the joy of thy soul when earthly comfort is ebbing fast."

Charles Spurgeon