The King of Love My Shepherd IS

The King of love my Shepherd is,
Whose goodness faileth never,
I nothing lack if I am His
And He is mine forever.

Where streams of living water flow
My ransomed soul He leadeth,
And where the verdant pastures grow,
With food celestial feedeth.

Perverse and foolish oft I strayed,
But yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulder gently laid,
And home, rejoicing, brought me.

In death's dark vale I fear no ill
With Thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me.

Thou spread'st a table in my sight;
Thy unction grace bestoweth;
And O what transport of delight
From Thy pure chalice floweth!

And so through all the length of days
Thy goodness faileth never;
Good Shepherd, may I sing Thy praise
Within Thy house forever.
~H. Baker

I was very much blessed by this sweet hymn this evening. I was especially blessed with the thought that though I enjoyed my sin and never gave thought of coming to Christ, except for selfishly wanting to save myself from pain and  misery, He in love sought me and brought me home, rejoicing!  Beloved, can you believe it! The Creator of the entire universe rejoiced when He brought you into His kingdom.  It is too much to bear. When I realize how sinful I really am and how unworthy I am of any good thing it can only bring me to my knees thanking God for who He is, the King of Love and my Shepherd.

Beloved, forget not your King, remember all He has done for you, and rejoice in Him as He rejoices in you.

"Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest" Jn 4:35

There was great rejoicing among the Saints today as we celebrated the new birth of four friends. 

Each person has a unique story and each is very different from the other but one common thing is found to be true among them all, their refrain will no longer be "my glory and honor" but will forevermore be, "All glory and praise to the One whom my soul loves best, Jesus!"  

Today Thy mercy calls me,

To wash away my sin;

However great my trespass, 

Whatever I may have been,

However long from mercy 

I may have turned away

Thy blood, O Christ, can cleanse me, 

And make me white today.

Today Thy gate is open,

And all who enter in,

Shall find a Father's welcome, 

And pardon for their sin;

The past shall be forgotten,

A present joy be given,

A future grace be promised--

A glorious crown in heaven.

O all embracing mercy.

Thou ever open door,

What should I do without Thee,

When heart and eyes run o'er?

When all things seem against me,

To drive me to despair,

I know one gate is open,

One ear will hear my prayer.

                            ~Oswald Allen

The Name of Jesus

In the last 21 years, the Lord has been faithful to work in my life and to bring me unto Himself, yet there are times when the enemy comes in and causes my soul to be dismayed at how little I have actually grown and how much sin I still have.  It is in these times of heart-break and unrest that I find it hard to be soothed by the most encouraging verse, loving saint, or even prayer. I am bogged down by the fact that I have failed the One whom my heart loves the most and I begin to wonder if I ever loved Him at all.  I become overwhelmed by the most tedious of things, and I see every failing as if it were going to crush me to death.

My heart aches at the very thought of living out another moment in such a state, yet I see no other way than to drudge through the mire under a cloud waiting for the Sun to shine through and smoother roads to come ahead.  These times can last for days, weeks, months even.  I become parched and weary, no longer wanting to fight the good fight, no longer wanting to take one more step, only wanting to drift along in life by myself.

Then, through this dreary time, through the fogginess of my mind and heart comes the sweetest thing, a name, Jesus. His name alone has dispelled all darkness, brightened the once sorrowful heart, and granted life to dead bones.  His name has saved me from all of my sins, and though I fall, I will rise again, forgiven and standing clothed in the righteousness of Christ.

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds

in a believer's ear;

It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,

and drives away his fear.

It makes the wounded spirit whole,

and calms the troubled breast;

Tis manna to the hungry soul

and to weary rest.

Dear name, the Rock on which I build,

my shield and hiding place,

my never-failing treasury, filled

with boundless stores of grace.

Jesus, my Shepherd, Savior, Friend,

My Prophet, Priest, my King,

My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,

Accept the praise I bring.

Weak is the effort of my heart, 

and cold my warmest thought;

but when I see Thee as Thou art

I'll praise Thee as I ought.

I would Thy boundless love proclaim

with every fleeting breath;

so shall the music of Thy name

refresh my soul in death.

~John Newton

He Owns Me for His child

April 4

April 4, 2013 • By Charles H. Spurgeon; revised and edited by William C. Neff (c)2003-2005

"[God] made [Jesus], who knew no sin, to be sin for us, so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him."-- 2 Corinthians 5:21

Dear mourning Christian! Why are you crying? Are you sorrowful over your own corruption? If so, then look to your perfect Lord, and remember that you are complete in Him. You are in God's sight as perfect as if you had never sinned— in fact, even better than that! The Lord our righteousness has put a divine garment upon you, so that you wear the very righteousness of God.
If you are mourning because of your continued sinfulness, remember that none of your sins can condemn you. You have learned to hate sin, but you have not learned that your sin is no longer yours-- it was laid upon Christ's head. Your acceptance in God’s presence is not based in yourself, but in your Lord; you are as much accepted by God today with all your sinfulness as you will be when you stand before His throne free from all corruption.
I beg you today to lay hold on this precious thought— that you are perfect and complete in Christ! With your Savior’s garment on you are as holy as the Holy one. Who can possibly condemn you? Christ died and was raised for you, and he is now at God’s right hand interceding for you.
So, Christian, rejoice! You are "accepted in the Christ who loves you." What do you have to fear? Smile! Live near your Master today, and know that when your time has come you will rise up where your Jesus sits now, and you will reign at His right hand.  All of this is true because the divine Lord "was made to be sin for us, so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." ~Morningandevening.org

Arise, my soul, arise; shake off thy guilty fears;
The bleeding sacrifice in my behalf appears:
Before the throne my surety stands,
Before the throne my surety stands,
My name is written on His hands.

He ever lives above, for me to intercede;
His all redeeming love, His precious blood, to plead:
His blood atoned for all our race,
His blood atoned for all our race,
And sprinkles now the throne of grace.

Five bleeding wounds He bears; received on Calvary;
They pour effectual prayers; they strongly plead for me:
"Forgive him, O forgive," they cry,
"Forgive him, O forgive," they cry,
"Nor let that ransomed sinner die!"

The Father hears Him pray, His dear anointed One;
He cannot turn away, the presence of His Son;
His Spirit answers to the blood,
His Spirit answers to the blood,
And tells me I am born of God.

My God is reconciled; His pardoning voice I hear;
He owns me for His child; I can no longer fear:
With confidence I now draw nigh,
With confidence I now draw nigh,
And "Father, Abba, Father," cry.

~Charles Wesley

Wait, Trust, and Rest

Wait, patiently wait,
God never is late;
Your budding plans are in your Father's holding,
And only wait His grand divine unfolding.
Then wait, wait,
Patiently wait.

Trust, hopefully trust,
That God will adjust
Your tangled life; and from its dark concealings,
Will bring His will, in all its bright revealings.
Trust, hopefully trust,
Then trust, trust,
Hopefully trust.

Rest, peacefully rest
On your Savior's breast;
Breath in His ear your sacred high ambition,
And He will bring it forth in blest fruition.
Then rest, rest,
Peacefully rest!

~Mercy A. Gladwin

Rose from Brier

"Thou hast not that, My child , but thou hast Me,

And am not I alone enough for thee?

I know it all, know how thy heart was set

Upon this joy which is not given yet.

And well I know how through the wistful days

Thou walkest all the dear familiar ways,

As unregarded as a breath of air,

But there in love and longing, always there!

I know it all; but from thy brier shall blow

A rose for others if it were not so

I would have told thee.

Come then, say to me:

'My Lord, My Love, I am content with Thee.'"

~Amy Carmichael