Matchless!
Just a Meadow Minute
I have always thrilled to hear male tenor voices like that of David Phelps. The man has to have an extra lung to sing like that! I’ve always been at best a “barely-a-tone”, and now the lowly base line (pun intended) is where I’m most comfortable. I love this hymn by Haldor Lillenas for two reasons. First, the message of Scripture comes through loud and clear. None of us—not you, not me—can “out sin” God’s grace. And secondly, because this wonderful hymn lets the basses finally cut loose and lead. If you recognize the melody, see if you can read the chorus without getting into it in rhythm!
Wonderful grace of Jesus, greater than all my sin;
How shall my tongue describe it, where shall its praise begin?
Taking away my burden, setting my spirit free,
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
Wonderful the matchless grace of Jesus,
Deeper than the mighty rolling sea;
Higher than the mountain, sparkling like a fountain,
All sufficient grace for even me;
Broader than the scope of my transgressions,
Greater far than all my sin and shame;
O magnify the precious name of Jesus, Praise His Name!
Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching to all the lost,
By it I have been pardoned, saved to the uttermost;
Chains have been torn asunder, Giving me liberty,
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching the most defiled,
By its transforming power making me God’s dear child,
Purchasing peace and heaven for all eternity—
And the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.
It was in 1917 that as a young pastor, Haldor Lillenas and his wife, were settling into a new ministry at the Nazarene church of Auburn, Illinois. They purchased a small house in nearby Olivet, but had very little resources left to furnish it. Though they were both hymnwriters, they had no money for a piano. Then Haldor found a “wheezy little organ” in the home of a neighbor and paid five dollars for it. Lillenas wrote a number of songs on that instrument, including this one.
This song, with its rolling melody and awesome climbing chorus, became very popular at evangelistic meetings. The young pastor used it often, as did the famous song leader, Charles Alexander. Instead of worship bands and smoke machines and special strobe lighting, maybe this is the very hymn that we need today to lift us all up from any routine or monotony that we might be feeling in our worship. Perhaps this kind of rousing hymn is exactly what the Lord could use to fire up His people to share His love with others. We could all use a heavy dose of recognition for God’s amazing grace.
Ephesians 2:4-7 says, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the boundless riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”
Praise the Lord!
Grace,
Tom
Meadow Minute Archives
Previous ten articles of the Meadow Minute can be located by date and content.
“Nothing is truly lost until Mom can’t find it.”
That axiom has been proven true in my life more times than I care to remember. There is something “other-worldly” about the ability the woman of the house has in coming to the rescue when the rest of us can’t find something and either melt down or give up. Women seem to have more patience and diligence and attention to detail when it comes to such a situation. Perhaps that’s why Jesus describes a woman doing the searching in the Parable of the Lost Coin. It just feels natural, doesn’t it, to know a woman would keep looking until she found it.
What the Pharisees and Scribes grumble about in the first few verses of Luke 15 reveals the motivation for Jesus’ teaching three of the most well-known of His parables. “This man receives sinners and eats with them.” Yes, He does. And aren’t we thankful!
Take the time to read Luke 15. All three of the word-pictures found there are connected and complimentary. Hillyer H. Straton calls the stories in this chapter, “The Parables of the Four Verbs—Lose, Seek, Find, Rejoice.” In the first one, Christ is described as the Good Shepherd, who with much pain and self-sacrifice, seeks the reckless and wandering lost sheep. In the final one, God is represented by the father seeking his lost and wayward child, receiving him with a kiss. And sandwiched between these two is the Parable of the Lost Coin showing the Holy Spirit’s working through His Church (the saved) to save others. In only three verses, the Lord tells the story about a woman of the house who recognizes she has lost one of her most prized possessions. Patiently, diligently, and attentively, she thoroughly sweeps and searches her home to find the lost piece of money. When she finds it, Jesus says, “she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me for I have found the coin which I had lost.’” There is a powerful message here for all the saints of the church.
Could Jesus really be suggesting the possibility of a soul, precious in God’s sight, being lost even in a Christian home? Even in a Christian Church fellowship? Are there people living in our homes, involved in the activities of our church, who have not yet experienced the New Birth that comes through repentance of sin and surrender to the Lordship of Christ? Could it be the believers in our homes and in our church have run out of patience, diligence, attention—dare we say—and have had a melt down or given up? “Isn’t dealing with that the pastor’s job, the Sunday School Teacher’s responsibility?” The woman in Jesus’ story realized she had lost a coin, and she gained no comfort knowing the other coins in her home were safe. Her focus was on finding the lost one. Is that our focus? Might we as believers, at home and at church, more earnestly, patiently, diligently, attentively seek the salvation of the lost who are nearest to us where we live and worship?
It’s possible that while reading this Meadow Minute, you have realized that you’re one the Holy Spirit is looking for, wooing to Himself through the efforts of faithful believers around you. You’re surrounded by loving, godly family members. You’re faithful in church attendance and enjoy being a part of Bible Study and worship. Those are good things, and yet you still feel something’s missing. Maybe you realize you’re the reckless and wandering one for whom the Good Shepherd has laid down His life. You might see yourself as the wayward prodigal for whom the Father has been patiently waiting. Why not heed the Spirit’s call? Come home. You will find your friends and family rejoicing.
And, like Jesus says at the end of the Parable of the Lost Coin, “In the same way, I tell you there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Grace,
Tom
I have some great memories of my Grandpa’s apple orchard that was behind the barn on his farm just outside Statesville, North Carolina. That orchard was wonderful to see in the spring when there was promise in the blossoms, but it was the most wonderful in autumn, when the branches of every tree were laden to the ground with fruit. That’s the cycle of things. That’s the expectation.
There is likewise promise in all the blossoms showing themselves in the cotton fields around Meadow. If all goes as planned, those white blossoms will turn to pink, and then the bolls will begin to push themselves out. Then comes the harvest. Right now, the plants look healthy and show all the signs of producing cotton. That’s the cycle of things. That’s the expectation. But imagine the blossoms never becoming bolls? What if there was plenty of rain, plenty of sunshine, no hail or blight, but the “fruit” of the plants just never comes? What then? Wishing this Meadow Minute would be a bit more optimistic?
Jesus said, “By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”
While Christians remain on this earth, that is the cycle of things. That is the expectation. The Lord of the Harvest plants the perfect seed of His glorious gospel in His field, the hearts of believers. He nurtures and nourishes and grows His own, expecting us to bear much fruit. He watches over and protects His precious investment while patiently waiting for the fruit of His Spirit to reveal itself in time. How’s the fruit yield coming in your life? Is there an abundance of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control—you know, the fruit of the Spirit—evident in your life?
We bear much fruit for God only when we stay connected to Him. We must live our lives in union with Jesus Christ. Apart from Him, disconnected from Him, we can produce nothing of eternal worth. Each of us must have this singular focus above all other interests and desires and plans and expectations—to keep near to Jesus—so that the Living Christ can produce in us the fruits of His righteousness, glorifying the Father.
My church family knows my mind often works in song lyrics. How about this?
Planted by God in a field without worth,
We are but seeds in His eyes.
So, He nurtures with grace, and His hands work the earth,
That His fruit may be sanctified Come Harvest Time.
Come Harvest Time what Thanksgiving we will show,
When the Plowman brings freedom from the earth here below.
Come Harvest Time, O what joy will be known,
When He gathers the souls of the seeds He has sown. –Come Harvest Time
Child of God, the Lord is watching over you as His very own. Fight the good fight. Finish your course. Keep the faith. Bear much fruit.
Grace,
Tom
“Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place?” Job 38:12
This is God’s question to the arrogance of the human ego. As many in our church know, when I’m asked to do something, I have a pat answer. “Why not. I do everything else around here!” Maybe I should quit saying that…nah. I like the looks I get! Anyway, with so many servant’s hearts found here, I doubt anyone takes me seriously.
If we’re not careful though, we can get full of ourselves, can’t we? An easy trap to fall into is the tendency to ask God for His control over every aspect of our situation…except us. We want God to fix things. We don’t want God to fix us. But for Him to take control of our situation, we must relinquish it.
In every struggle or difficult circumstance of this difficult life “under the sun,” God is to be in control. And He is also in control when it comes to eternal life. God brings salvation upon the earth—on His terms, and not ours.
In the story of the Rich Young Ruler found in Matthew 19, Jesus is confronted by a man who genuinely wants to obtain eternal life. Everything points to this man being sincere about having “kept” the commandments in working his way to heaven, and he wants to know what else could possibly be lacking. Jesus tells the young man what needs fixing is self-reliance, relinquishing control of the most important thing in one’s life, in this case, the man’s money. Instead, the Bible says the young man “went away grieved, for he was one who owned much property.” He wanted Jesus to fix things, not to fix him.
Afterward, those standing around questioned Jesus’ statement that someone with everything would have a hard time getting to heaven. Surely such a person is blessed of God with abilities and a fine character. Surely such a person can show God how much he loves Him, and that must count for something, right?
In America, we throw that word “freedom” around quite a bit. Do you see yourself free and in control of your life? Do you see yourself having the freedom and authority to decide how and where you’re going to live? What you’re going to do for a living? How you’ll spend your money? Who you’re going to marry? How you’ll raise your children? Do you feel things are going just fine with you being in charge? Well, are you in control of when you’re going to die? How about whether you will live forever in the presence of the One who created you? I mean if you’re free, if you’re in charge, you get to decide all of that. Right?
“Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place?
When we allow God to take control, when we allow ourselves to be “called according to His purposes,” He works all things to our good and to His best! And when God sets us free, we are “free indeed.” It’s possible in this life that your ego may step in, and you find yourself having to relinquish control to God more than once. We’re faced with impossible situations all through our life. And we’re faced with the impossible task of getting ourselves to heaven, no matter how accomplished we are, or how important we may see ourselves.
Jesus’ disciples become so incredulous in the story as to ask, “Then who can be saved?”
And the Lord’s answer? “With men this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.”
Grace,
Tom
My dad loved peanut butter with Ritz Crackers and insisted the tops of the crackers had to face outward, or it would make you sick to eat them. He taught the same principle applied to having sandwich slices mis-aligned, and I can testify to the validity of both! I was influenced as a boy, as a younger man, and well into my adult years by Dad’s wisdom and instruction and opinions in my growing up. Wondering how my dad would respond in any situation is still in the mix of my decision making. I know that I emulate him in many ways. Except for one thing. My father was a philatelist…he loved collecting stamps, and I never saw the fascination.
Mom told us boys there were times when she and Dad were first married and didn’t have five dollars to their name, that Dad still made a way to keep up with his various collections of commemorative stamps. “What’s the point in going 99% of the way,” Dad would ask.
Once, when our older daughter Jonna was just barely a teenager, I remember Dad getting out his favorite collection to show her. It is a large, two-volume set entitled, “50 Golden Years of Commemorative Stamps,” and it was one of Dad’s prized possessions that Mom gave me after his death. Dad was able to hold his granddaughter’s attention for quite some time as they sat side-by-side, each two-inch thick notebook open on their laps. Dad told Jonna of his fascination with how stamps were made and his appreciation of the detailed artwork. He explained each stamp he had mounted there by using the explanation found on the pages where each one was displayed. Dad’s eyes were lit up and he spoke with conviction of the satisfaction that came to him on the day he realized he had completed the impressive set.
While I was never into collecting stamps, I must admit that sitting off to the side listening and watching their interaction, even I began to see the genuine passion Dad had in his hobby and sticking with it no matter what. He was showing my daughter something that had taken years of focus and effort. He spoke with her about setting worthy goals, and how being diligent in achieving them can bring about great things in a person’s life whether other people fully understood them or not. Finally, Dad gently closed the second large notebook on their laps, and asked Jonna if she understood what he had been talking about.
With great love and respect, she looked at him as only a granddaughter can look at her Pa-paw and said, “These are really neat. I bet we could sell them and get a lot of money!” Sorry Dad. A swing and a miss!
Christian, would you define the life you live in Jesus as passionate? Is remaining faithful to Christ worth setting your own will aside for His? Do you pick and choose those parts of His purpose for your life that you are willing to abide by? Perhaps God would ask you, “What’s the point in going 99% of the way?”
Consider Philippians 3:7-8. “But whatever things were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for who I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ.”
Mom continued to receive entries in the mail for the collection Dad was working on before cancer took his earthly life, and Jesus took him home. The two volumes are called “50th Anniversary WWII Commemorative Covers Collection.” Mom just couldn’t bring herself to cancel Dad’s subscription before getting them all. Maybe in her grief she could hear Dad say, “What’s the point in going 99% of the way?” Together for several months after Dad’s death, Mom and I finished mounting those last stamps that completed the set, and it’s another of the collections my dad cherished that I am honored to have today. Maybe stamp collecting is something I should give a second look.
Grace,
Tom
To this day, I can hear my mother playing this great hymn, one of my favorites, on the organ at Harris Avenue Baptist Church in San Angelo, TX, where she served faithfully for many, many years.
It’s author, William Cowper, suffered from deep depression for most of his life, and in 1764, he found himself within the walls of an institution for the mentally ill. There in the asylum, William Cowper found Christ through reading a Bible provided as reading material for those housed there. Despite almost constant emotional pain—maybe because of it—Cowper produced literature of amazing insight. Even today, he is still known as one of England’s greatest poets.
Written about 1770, this hymn is based on Zechariah 13:1, “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David…to cleanse them from sin and impurity.” Cowper lived his life grasping for any assurance of God’s forgiveness that he could find. He always felt guilty, unworthy of Christ’s love. That is what drove him to compose this wonderful hymn.
There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Emmanuel’s veins,
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood, lose all their guilty stains.
Lose all their guilty stains, lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.
The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day;
And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away.
Wash all my sins away, wash all my sins away.
And there may I, though vile as he,
Wash all my sins away.
E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream Thy flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall be till I die.
And shall be till I die, and shall be till I die;
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.
Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I’ll sing Thy power to save,
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue lies silent in the grave.
Lies silent in the grave, lies silent in the grave;
When this poor lisping, stammering tongue
Lies silent in the grave.
We all are unworthy in ourselves of the amazing gift of God’s redemptive love. It is by Jesus’ blood and righteousness alone that we are made right in Him. Philippians 3:10 says, “…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death.” Praise God!
The humble work of “this poor lisping, stammering tongue” has filled my mouth and the mouths of millions who claim the blood of Christ as their atonement.
Grace,
Tom
I have finally gotten around to a small project I’ve been putting off for some time. The flower beds around the parsonage—front and back—are cordoned off with a wide and winding concrete border. Several years back now, to put the deck in out-back, I had to break up about 20 feet of this border using a sledgehammer borrowed from Danny Caswell. After much procrastination, I was able to reconnect the border to where the deck reached. It was a small patch and I was so proud of how smooth and natural-looking the mend turned out. Then, as I finished, it started raining and I hurried into the house, not covering the still-damp concrete. By morning it looked a bit different. Rough. Exposed. Damaged. Well, tough. I’m not breaking it up again!
At the end of every such project, I take a pause. Usually, the pause begins with me re-thinking the whole thing over and over in my mind, feeling the pressure of how the project could have been done differently and/or better (like covering the concrete until it could set a bit more). Then while still in “pause mode” I reorganize the shop, sweeping and wiping down, putting things back where they belong, and getting ready for the next adventure. But is that really a pause, or is that just exchanging one kind of busy for another?
If you have ever read through the Psalms, you’ve come across a word there that might give you pause…literally. The word is “selah,” and it occurs 71 times in the Book of Psalms. No one is exactly sure what it means, but most agree it is a form of interlude, taking the time to contemplate, to reflect, to sabbath, to pause. And perhaps like me you have heard the phrase, “Practice the Pause.” It got me to wondering just what practicing the pause spiritually might look like.
When we finally take a break from our busy schedule and begin rehashing in our mind the events of the day, creating new things to worry about while planning what comes next, is that spiritually practicing the pause? I don’t think so. When we take a break to scroll through Facebook or play a game on our smartphone, when we escape in a book or turn on a TV show, is that spiritually practicing the pause? Nope. That’s exchanging one kind of busy for another.
In the NIV, Luke 5:16 says, “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Spiritually, our Lord practiced the pause. It was part of Jesus’ life on this earth to set aside time for communing with His Heavenly Father. We should do the same. We should be like Jesus. We should practice the pause. Not exchanging one kind of busy for another but re-uniting with our Heavenly Father through His Word and prayer and worship. Not just checking off our to-do list going through the motions of a so-called “quiet time.” Spiritually practicing the pause should be different from that—genuinely, faithfully, consistently, intimately communing with God. Something sounding as simple as “selah” is not that simple after all. It takes intentionality. It takes commitment. It takes time to pause, and time is very precious to us all. In John’s Gospel when the disciples returned to Jesus by the well after they went to town for some food, Jesus told them that He had nourishment they didn’t know about. When He found Himself alone, Jesus took the time to commune with His Father. And time spent with God does have its rewards.
“They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31.
As God’s people, let’s intentionally take the time to spiritually practice the pause. Pencils down. Phones silenced. Schedules closed. Hearts opened. Selah,
Grace,
Tom
When is it time to speak up, and when is it time to be silent? Perhaps the most famous of Plato’s quotes contains only three words: “Silence gives consent.” The philosopher believed not speaking up about injustice or falsehood was the same thing as agreeing with the injustice or falsehood. Is that true?
Yes. And no.
In our world today, there are a multitude of causes to stand up for, and sadly, perhaps even more to stand against. Courage is needed facing the onslaught of criticisms and judgements society hurls at the church. As Christians, without excuse or exception, we are to base our decisions and positions, our actions and answers, our votes, our lifestyles upon God’s Word. As believers, we should also find our inspiration for speaking out or keeping silent from Scripture. The Bible says our motivation in all things is to be Christian love, and that love, according to 1 Corinthians 13, “does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.”
May our hearts be moved toward grace by Proverbs 25:11, “Like apples of gold in settings of silver is a word spoken in right circumstances.” We are to speak…in right circumstances. We are to encourage and uplift, we are to defend and support, we are to explain and clarify and forgive, we are to cajole and criticize in right circumstances…with love. But one of the more difficult things in life is to remain silent when we personally have been wronged, slighted, or falsely accused. It seems human nature to retaliate, to set the record straight, to fire back. We convince ourselves that by holding back we will look weak or “wishy-washy,” naïve, disinterested, or passive. Who wants to be known as a push-over? Worse, our silence might be taken as arrogance or unforgiveness. Maybe the correct response is to speak up. Maybe not.
Ecclesiastes 3:7b tells us there is “a time to be silent, and a time to speak.” In answering a hurtful comment or action, will the promise of keeping a confidence of another be broken? Will innocents be harmed by our demanding to be heard? Might speaking out cause harm to the offender or create deeper, harsher retaliation and controversy? Even at the risk of our being misunderstood, our motivation to speak or to be silent is to always be Christian love.
As the time drew near for Diane and me to come as the pastor of FBC Meadow, a godly friend advised me to face each day of ministry only after “putting on grace.” He encouraged me to not share with, speak to, pray for, or counsel those I would shepherd here before dressing myself in grace. Only then would I have the proper perspective to honor Christ in my service to Him. The first Christian fiction book I remember reading in my teen years inspired me to write my novel, The Lord of the Harvest decades later. Charles Sheldon’s masterpiece, In His Steps, draws any who would read it to first consider “What would Jesus do?” before making any decision, doing any job, responding to any human need, or dealing with any personal circumstance. The WWJD bracelets of the not-too-distant past came from a re-birth of Sheldon’s theme—seeking Christ’ example and reflecting His life in our own.
Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned, as it were with salt, so that you may know how you should respond to each person.” That’ll preach.
Grace,
Tom
For several weeks now in our worship services at FBC, we’ve been searching for growth in our Christian walk through a message series called “Finding Rest.” Our schedules are overloaded. Some of us have days blocked off to the quarter-hour as we try to get as much done as possible in our families, in our work, in our recreation, and yes, in our ministry. We convince ourselves that finding rest is first complicated by finding TIME to rest. This series has been, and will likely continue to be, a very personal one for this pastor.
We are all familiar with last Sunday’s focal passage, Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know that I am God...” For our Lord to be truly “exalted among the nations,” and “exalted on the earth,” we must pause and allow Him to be ruler not only of our efforts, our works of righteousness in His name, our busy-ness, but also of our rest. In its entirety, this psalm is the basis for Martin Luther’s hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” The first verse of the same psalm also has much to share for a busy, worried, anxious, and overwrought culture. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” And that leads to where this Meadow Minute is headed.
I read recently about a man named Matthew Henry. Years ago, after Mr. Henry was mugged, he wrote in his diary, “Let me be thankful first because I was never robbed before; second, although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.”
As I took in Mr. Henry’s grateful and gracious diary testimony, I thought of how others, including myself at times in my life, might have composed a different diary entry after experiencing such an event. It might have gone, “First, I cannot believe some fool robbed me! Second, I’m lucky it was just my stinkin’ wallet that he took! Third, I have nothing to live on or live for! And fourth, if he thinks he got away with it, just wait until I see that idiot again!”
It’s time for a bit of self-evaluation. Which one of the previous two paragraphs describes us when misfortune comes? Do we still proclaim, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble”? Is our rest, our peace, challenged by difficult circumstances, or grounded in the truth that the Creator desires intimacy and closeness with us and is in charge of the events of our lives? As believers, we must live knowing God either causes or allows everything that happens in our lives. He is not an absent, distant deity. In times of protection, we can know He overshadows us. In times of our distress, He is aware and engaged, perhaps even growing us for His purposes and to His glory.
Heavenly Father, forgive us when we become so busy, so worried, so anxious, and overwrought that we fail to breathe in all the promises we have from You. Lord, grant us the wisdom to step away, to pause, to trust, and to appreciate what we have in You. May You be our first resource, and not our last resort. May You truly be our refuge, our strength, and our help in every circumstance.
Grace,
Tom
America is celebrating her 250th birthday, and after we sang one of my favorite hymns on Sunday, God of our Fathers, I wanted to share a bit about it.
Six years before his death in 1907, Daniel Roberts wrote, “I remain a country parson, known only within my own small world.” In 1876 while he was the pastor of a rural church in Brandon, Vermont, Roberts wrote this hymn to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The hymn was sung for the first time at Brandon’s Fourth of July celebration. The people there enjoyed the hymn so much that Roberts submitted it to the committee planning the Constitution’s centennial celebration. It was chosen as the official hymn for the occasion, and it was given an original tune by an organist in New York City with the traditional trumpet fanfare we all recognize. This is indeed a very unique hymn.
God of our fathers, whose almighty hand
Leads forth in beauty all the starry band
Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies,
Our grateful songs before Thy throne arise.
Thy love divine hath led us in the past;
In this free land by Thee our lot is cast;
Be Thou our ruler, guardian, guide and stay,
Thy Word our law; Thy paths our chosen way.
From war’s alarms, from deadly pestilence,
Be Thy strong arm our ever sure defense;
Thy true religion in our hearts increase,
Thy bounteous goodness nourish us in peace.
Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way;
Lead us from night to never-ending day;
Fill all our lives with love and grace divine;
And glory, laud, and praise be ever Thine.
While so many of us are outspokenly patriotic and recognize the greatness of America, we must never take for granted the Lord’s hand in our nation’s founding and development and greatness. Anything less, by our taking credit for the blessings we enjoy, should be considered blasphemy in the eyes of the world looking to America as the last great bastion of freedom. God’s hand IS upon our country. We are to lead when others will only follow. We are to guard when others face destruction. We are to share when others only take.
In 1984, Ronald Reagan gave a speech, recalling some words of Abraham Lincoln when he said, “We must be cautious in claiming God is on our side. I think the question we must answer is, are we on His side?”
Galatians 5:1 tells us, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject to a yoke of slavery.” As much as we cherish our freedom as a country, may all who claim the name of Jesus cherish even more the freedom granted in surrender to Christ. In Him, we are free from despair. We are free from death. Praise the God of Our Fathers!
Grace,
Tom
This week at FBC, it is an honor to have former pastor, Ken McClung, officiate the Memorial Service for Mary Etta Fleming. Her passing has both lessened us and strengthened us as the body of Christ. She will be missed by her daughter, Traci, her extended family, and many friends here in this life. Yet with her testimony of faith, Mary Etta is now included in the Great Cloud of Witnesses spoken of in Hebrews chapter 12:1. Her life encourages us to “run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking only at Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
As I contemplate Mary Etta’s 97 years of life, most of it lived as a follower of Jesus, I am steadied by the news we as a church received this week from Youth Camp in Glorietta, where four of our students made commitments to Christ, surrendering their hearts through faith.
Oh, “the joy set before” Mary Etta. Think of the reunion she has experienced with her husband, Joe. Her victory has been won, and now she will spend eternity in the presence of her Savior. For all of us who loved Mary Etta, but for a season, we will see her again in our Father’s heaven because of Jesus who “endured the cross”.
Oh, “the joy set before” these new young believers as their Christian Walk is just beginning. May the Lord grant that they remain faithful, abiding in Him all the days of their lives. May they “run with endurance the race that is set before” them as followers of the Christ.
Mary Etta’s family can find comfort and peace, even joy, in knowing that the promises of God are true. Believing in Jesus, they will see their sweet loved one again.
The parents and families of our youth who have just now surrendered to our Lord, can likewise find comfort and peace and joy in knowing the promises of God are true. Through faith in the Father’s forgiveness and grace, they, too, can know they will spend eternity together.
I am compelled to say it again. Christians must be the most positive and forward thinking people on this earth. Through the Holy Spirit, it becomes our mindset to see an eternal future that changes everything,. How we think. How we speak. How we act. How we work and parent and love and learn and serve. Oh, “the joy set before us!” Knowing Christ changes everything.
The lost world desperately needs what Mary Etta and these new believers and countless millions of others have found—salvation through the grace of God. As we grieve the loss of Mary Etta and rejoice with the angels in heaven over the decisions of these fine young people, we should let these two events keep our eyes on “Jesus, the originator and perfecter of the faith.” Who do you know, right now, facing an eternal future without Christ, headed for a devil’s hell? Oh, “the joy set before” them that’s made possible by your witness and assured by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Go to it!
Grace,
Tom