The God whom earth and sea and sky adore...

The God whom earth and sea and sky
Adore and laud and magnify,
Whose might they own, Whose praise they tell,
In Mary's womb vouchsafed to dwell.

How blessed that Mother, in whose shrine
The world's Creator, Lord divine,
Whose hand contains the earth and sky,
Once deigned, as in His ark, to lie.

Blessed in the message Gabriel brought,
Blessed by the work the Spirit wrought;
From whom the great Desire of earth
Took human flesh and human birth.

O Lord, the Virgin-born, to Thee
Eternal praise and glory be,
Whom with the Father we adore
And Holy Ghost for evermore.
... For­tu­na­tus image

Prodigal Church, Prodigal Nation...

Prodigal Church, Prodigal Nation...

The Christian church in America “must come to its senses” before we can expect the nation itself to return to be the light of liberty.

 Read here-Excellent! image

We never reach a place in the Christian life...

We never reach a place in the Christian life where it is no longer necessary to watch and pray lest we fall into temptation. A constant coming back in spirit to our Center which is Christ the Lord, is our only safeguard.  -Frederick Huegel

God keep me from saying anything that would be unloving...

God keep me from saying anything that would be unloving; God shut my mouth if I am not to speak in tender love. But what I am saying is a fact. How often there is found among Christians who are banded together in work, sharp criticism, sharp judgment, hasty opinion, unloving words, secret contempt of each other, secret condemnation of each other. Oh, just as a mother’s love covers her children and delights in them and has the tenderest compassion with their foibles or failures, so there ought to be in the heart of every believer a motherly love toward every brother and sister in Christ. Have you aimed at that? Have you sought it? Have you ever pleaded for it?  -Andrew Murray

Holiness comes not of blood...

Holiness comes not of blood—parents cannot give it to their children: nor yet of the will of the flesh—man cannot produce it in himself: nor yet of the will of man—ministers cannot give it you by baptism. Holiness comes from Christ. It is the result of vital union with Him. It is the fruit of being a living branch of the True Vine.  -J.C. Ryle 

Tune Thou my harp...

 

Tune Thou my harp;

There is not, Lord, could never be,

The skill in me.

 

Tune Thou my harp,

That it may play Thy melody,

Thy harmony.

 

Tune Thou my harp;

O Spirit, breathe Thy thought through me

As pleaseth Thee.

... Amy Carmichael 

Why is today’s church so far from what God expects of it?

Not Quite Like Our Church Services Today...

Why is today’s church so far from what God expects of it?  

Excerpt: 

"We waltz into church, usually with no heart preparation, keep a close eye on our smartphones, and think about lunch and the sporting matches to be held later in the day. There is little holiness, consecration and seriousness about being in the Lord’s presence. It is a one hour ritual that we go through each week, little different than going to a movie or taking the car through a car-wash.

There is nothing different about church. There is nothing special about church. There is nothing holy about church. And I too am guilty of having such a cavalier attitude and superficial response when going to church to worship the living God."

The rest: https://billmuehlenberg.com/2022/01/29/not-quite-like-our-church-services-today/

Love came down at Christmas...

Love came down at Christmas, 

Love all lovely, Love Divine; 

Love was born at Christmas, 

Star and Angels gave the sign. 

Worship we the Godhead,

Love Incarnate, Love Divine; 

Worship we our Jesus: 

But wherewith for sacred sign? 

Love shall be our token, 

Love be yours and love be mine, 

Love to God and all men, 

Love for plea and gift and sign.

 ...Christina Rossetti

Praying for a blessed, peaceful, holy and healthy Christmas for all!

-Pat Dague

“Let God empty you out...

“Let God empty you out that He may save you from becoming spiritually stale, and lead you ever onward. He is always calling us to pass beyond the thing we know into the unknown. A throne is God’s purpose for you; a cross is God’s path for you; faith is God’s plan for you.” ...Alan Redpath 

The Lord Jesus is in the midst of His church...

The Lord Jesus is in the midst of His church. He walks among the golden candlesticks (Rev. 2:13). His promise, "Lo, I am with you always," is as effectual now as it was the morning He prepared breakfast for His disciples at the lake (John 21:9)...

If we know that Jesus is with us, every power will be developed and every grace will be strengthened. We will throw ourselves into the Lord's service with heart, soul, and strength. ...CH Spurgeon

"One of the first lessons of our Lord in His school of prayer...

"One of the first lessons of our Lord in His school of prayer was: Not to be seen of men. Enter your inner chamber; be alone with the Father. When He has thus taught us that the meaning of prayer is personal individual contact with God, He comes with a second lesson: You have need not only of secret solitary, but also of public united prayer. And He gives us a very special promise for the united prayer of two or three who agree in what they ask. As a tree has its root hidden in the ground and its stem growing up into the sunlight, so prayer needs equally for its full development the hidden secrecy in which the soul meets God alone, and the public fellowship with those who find in the name of Jesus their common meeting-place." -Andrew Murray

"If we are really convinced of the truth of our message...

"If we are really convinced of the truth of our message, then we can proclaim it before a world of enemies, then the very difficulty of our task, the very scarcity of our allies becomes an inspiration, then we can even rejoice that God did not place us in an easy age, but in a time of doubt and perplexity and battle. Then, too, we shall not be afraid to call forth other soldiers into the conflict."   -J. Gresham Machen

Once we have felt the power of God's love...

Once we have felt the power of God's love-the way he accepts us as his children, trusts us with the most precious message in the world, and heals us of the ugly effects of sin-we will never be the same. We will want to pass it on to others by responding to them in a way that will draw them closer to that love. ...Floyd McClung Jr.

Modern culture is a mighty force....

Modern culture is a mighty force. It is either subservient to the gospel or else it is the deadliest enemy of the gospel. For making it subservient, religious emotion is not enough, intellectual labor is also necessary. And that labor is being neglected. The Church has turned to easier tasks. And now she is reaping the fruits of her indolence. Now she must battle for her life. -J.Gresham Machen

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble...

‘God Is Our Refuge’: A Look Back at Billy Graham’s 9/11 Message

1 God is our refuge and strength,

    a very present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,

    though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam,

    though the mountains tremble at its swelling. 

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,

    the holy habitation of the Most High.

5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;

    God will help her when morning dawns.

6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;

    he utters his voice, the earth melts.

7 The Lord of hosts is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress. 

8 Come, behold the works of the Lord,

    how he has brought desolations on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;

    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

    he burns the chariots with fire.

10 “Be still, and know that I am God.

    I will be exalted among the nations,

    I will be exalted in the earth!”

11 The Lord of hosts is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our fortress.

-Psalm 46

I prayed for faith...

"I prayed for faith, and thought that some day faith would come down and strike me like lightning. But faith did not seem to come. One day I read in the tenth chapter of Romans, ‘Now faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God’. I had up to this time closed my Bible, and prayed for faith. I now opened my Bible, and began to study, and faith has been growing ever since."  -Dwight L. Moody

A habit of hearty private prayer...

Of all the evidences of the real work of the Spirit, a habit of hearty private prayer is one of the most satisfactory that can be named. A man may preach from false motives. A man may write books and make fine speeches and seem diligent in good works, and yet be a Judas Iscariot. But a man seldom goes into his closet, and pours out his soul before God in secret, unless he is in earnest. The Lord himself has set his stamp on prayer as the best proof of true conversion.  -J.C. Ryle

Holiness...

Holiness comes not of blood—parents cannot give it to their children: nor yet of the will of the flesh—man cannot produce it in himself: nor yet of the will of man—ministers cannot give it you by baptism. Holiness comes from Christ. It is the result of vital union with Him. It is the fruit of being a living branch of the True Vine.  -J.C. Ryle

There are many of us that are willing to do great things for the Lord...

There are many of us that are willing to do great things for the Lord; but few of us willing to do little things... Look at that wonderful sermon that [Jesus] preached to that lone woman at the well of Samaria. He was tired and weary, but he had time and the heart to preach to her. This is but one of many instances in the life of the Master from which we may learn a precious lesson. If the Son of God had time to preach to one soul, cannot every one of us go and do the same?

...Dwight Lyman Moody 

Fear not because your prayer is stammering...

Fear not because your prayer is stammering, your words feeble, and your language poor. Jesus can understand you. Just as a mother understands the first lispings of her infant, so does the blessed Saviour understand sinners. He can read a sigh, and see a meaning in a groan.    -J. C. Ryle