Month: October 2023

Hymns 2.0 – To God Be the Glory

On October 9, 2023

Lyrics (click here to hear instrumental)

1 To God be the glory, great things he has done!
So loved he the world that he gave us his Son,
who yielded his life an atonement for sin,
and opened the life-gate that all may go in.

Refrain:
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear his voice!
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son
and give him the glory, great things he has done!

2 Great things he has taught us, great things he has done,
and great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son,
but purer and higher and greater will be
our joy and our wonder, when Jesus we see. [Refrain]
Fanny Crosby

The History Behind the Hymn

Frances Jane Crosby’s hymns have historically been among the most popular songs sung most churches. Crosby (1820-1915), who became blind as an infant, was a lifelong Methodist.

She began composing hymns at age 6, became a student at the New York Institute of the Blind at 15 and joined the faculty of the Institute at 22, teaching rhetoric and history. Her hymn texts were staples for the music of the most prominent gospel songwriters of her day.

She was a prolific hymnist, writing more than 8,000 hymns and gospel songs, with more than 100 million copies printed. She is also known for her teaching and her rescue mission work. By the end of the 19th century, she was a household name.

Crosby was known as the “Queen of Gospel Song Writers”and as the “Mother of modern congregational singing in America”, with most American hymnals containing her work. Her gospel songs were “paradigmatic of all revival music”, and Ira Sankey attributed the success of the Moody and Sankey evangelical campaigns largely to Crosby’s hymns. Some of Crosby’s best-known songs include “Pass Me Not, O Gentle Saviour”, “Blessed Assurance”, “Jesus Is Tenderly Calling You Home”, “Praise Him, Praise Him”, “Rescue the Perishing”, and “To God Be the Glory”. Some publishers were hesitant to have so many hymns by one person in their hymnals, so Crosby used nearly 200 different pseudonyms during her career.
Wikipedia

A Lesson for Me

Psa 19:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Psa 29:3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.

Psa 30:12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

To God be the glory: it’s a statement which comes from many lips but is it a statement that comes from the heart? If there was any one person who was a living example of a true glorifier of God, it was David of the Old Testament. As a shepherd boy, he grew intimate with the Lord God while he was in the fields tending to his father’s flocks. We can see his spiritual growth throughout the Book of Psalms.

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord,
Let the earth hear his voice!
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Let the people rejoice!
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son
and give him the glory, great things he has done!

Message for today

The Lord is in the midst of turmoil and heart ache for the believer. I’ve said it often that I don’t know how the unsaved make it through life’s hardships! God is always ready to help when one cries out to Him. It is during these times that we come to a realization of just who He is. He is not some statue or good luck charm. He is the Creator of the universe and deserves our praise!

When our eyes focus on God, we no longer dwell on our own problems in life but on praising Him, loving Him, and glorifying His name! Blessed be the name of the Lord!

Psa 108:5 Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth;

I strive to read the Book of Psalms and the Book of Proverbs every month along with my daily reading. One can find balm for the aching heart, joy in the midst of trials, and instructions on everyday life right there in those two books.

The Bible is a Book of instruction and direction, filled with wonders! But most of all, we find Jesus within its blessed pages. We find salvation and the wondrous works of God! We start out in life with a spirit that will dwell in one of two places for all eternity: Heaven or Hell. During our lifetime, it is our job to decide where we want to spend it. The Bible gives us all the information we need in order to get saved, to learn about God, and to live our daily lives! Everything we need is right there!

Great things he has taught us, great things he has done,
and great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son,
but purer and higher and greater will be
our joy and our wonder, when Jesus we see.

If you are not truly born-again, there is coming a time when it will be too late for you to repent and be saved. It is no coincidence that God has placed you here for such a time as this so that you may be saved if you are not already. Please click here and the link will open up in a separate tab You Can Be Born Again and Know It!

Hymns 2.0 – Wonderful Grace of Jesus

By Kate Plourde

On October 6, 2023

In Devotionals, Hymns 2.0

Lyrics (click here to hear instrumental)

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 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 him God’s dear child,
Purchasing peace and heaven for all eternity;
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.

Refrain

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!
Haldor Lillenas

The History Behind the Hymn

The writer of the hymn Wonderful Grace of Jesus, Haldor Lillenas, was born in Norway and immigrated to the United States when he was a small child.

Converted to Christianity at the age of 21, he entered Bible college and later became an elder and a pastor in the Nazarene church. He obtained his musical training through personal and correspondence study. He and his wife, Bertha, worked as evangelists for a time, traveling the country.

Later, he settled down in Illinois and bought himself a used organ for the extravagant sum of $5. They didn’t have much money at the time. He composed Wonderful Grace of Jesus on that organ and made – you guessed it – $5 on the sale of the hymn.

In 1924, he founded Lillenas Publishing Company which later became Nazarene Publishing Company. He worked there for 20 years as an editor. Like many other hymn composers, he was prolific. Together, he and his wife wrote over 4000 hymns.

In 1982, he was inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

While the tune may lend itself to being played uptempo, in a bubbly sort of fashion, Lillenas himself cautioned about the hymn begin played too fast. He wanted it to be slower so that everyone could focus on the the wonderful grace of Jesus.
https://hymnswelove.blogspot.com/2012/03/story-behind-wonderful-grace-of-jesus.html

A Lesson for Me

Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

This hymn is one of my all-time favorites! It speaks of God’s grace upon His creation. God knew of full-well of our frailties. He knew from the beginning that we could not live sinless lives. He gave us the opportunity to choose whether or not to sin. But in spite of our choices, while we were yet sinners, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us and to pay the penalty for those sins!

Grace! It is not earned. It is freely given by Christ. Its definition is “unmerited favor.” Oh my goodness, how I need unmerited favor, dear Reader. We all do!

Insert verse from hymn for teaching

Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching the most defiled,
By its transforming power making him God’s dear child,
Purchasing peace and heaven for all eternity;
For the wonderful grace of Jesus reaches me.

Message for today

I was that most defiled! A sinner in need of a forgiving God! Oh the peace that came once I gave my life to Him. I can’t explain it but I am so very thankful for that peace. I knew that I had an encounter with God Himself because of that blessed and sweet peace! No one – nothing can provide it.

Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

It is not the peace of the world as some think. Only God’s peace can enter the very heart of man. How do I know this? I know this because Jeremiah the prophet said Jeremiah 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” No perfect peace can come into a wicked heart, Reader.

Only God can give perfect peace. Jesus brings that peace to every heart that turns to Him.

Isa 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

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.

Hymns 2.0 – Abide With Me

By Kate Plourde

On October 4, 2023

In Devotionals, Hymns 2.0

Lyrics (click here to hear instrumental)

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.

Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see—
O Thou who changest not, abide with me.

I need Thy presence every passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

I fear no foe, with Thee at hand to bless;
Ills have no weight, and tears no bitterness;
Where is death’s sting? Where, grave, thy victory?
I triumph still, if Thou abide with me.

Hold Thou Thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom and point me to the skies;
Heav’n’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me.

Henry F. Lyte, 1847

The History Behind the Hymn

It was composed one Sabbath evening in 1847 out of a deep sadness that had settled down upon its author, the Rev. Henry F. Lyte. He had conducted his last communion service that day at the close of a pastorate of twenty-four years at Brixham, England. A fatal illness had already seized him and he was about to leave England to prolong his life, if possible, in the South.

Toward evening he walked down his garden path to the seaside and there thought out the imagery and many of the lines of his famous hymn. Into this he has woven the sense of change and of helplessness that one must feel in the presence of death, and also the trustful dependence upon Jesus Christ, the “Help of the helpless,” which every true Christian must feel in that solemn hour.

Returning to his home, he wrote out the hymn, perfecting its lines and giving to the Christian world one of its tenderest prayer-hymns. He left at once for the south of France, and soon after his arrival in Nice his strength failed him, and whispering the words, “Peace! Joy!” while he was pointing his hand heavenward, he died.

“Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee; In life, in death, O Lord, abide with me!”
Carl Price’s One Hundred and One Hymn Stories

A Lesson for Me

Isa 40:31 But 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; and they shall walk, and not faint.

I am certain that I am not the only one who has felt as Pastor Lyte did during his final trial. I absolutely love Isaiah 40:31! I don’t believe it is speaking of physical strength here. This kind of strength can only be given by the LORD Himself! Let’s face it, I have nothing in me that will put me on top when I am smack dab in the middle of a trial. So what is this “renewed strength”? It is a spiritual boost, if you will, that the Lord gives me when I have reached the end of my rope. The Lord shows up when I feel as though I am hanging by the smallest strand. It is at that very moment that I feel Him. Whether it is through a Bible verse, a phone call from a friend, or His beautiful creation as I walk in the park.

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens; Lord, with me abide;
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me.

Message for today

Are you at the end of your rope, Christian? Do you feel as though you cannot take one more burden or you will be crushed beneath the weight of it all? I doubt very much that any trial can be as horrible as what the Apostle Paul withstood. 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 tells us what he went through but his faith did not waiver. He experienced whippings, imprisonment, beaten with rods, stoned, shipwrecked, weariness, painfulness, hunger, thirst, cold, naked and so much more. I am not trying to belittle anyone’s hardships and trials. Every one of us has a trial that the Lord has allowed us to go through. Each trial molds and draws us to His side.

2 Cor 1:3-4 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; (4) Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

Every trial we experience should have a two-fold result:

To help others who are going through the same trial, and
To obtain our own comfort from the God of all comfort!

Praise the Lord that I do not serve an inanimate object, like gods made with hands. We serve the Lord Jesus Christ, the One who created us and fashioned us in our mother’s womb! He knows every fiber of my being. My Saviour condescended to my human level so he could experience everything a human being experiences. This same Lord knows your pain; He intimately knows every detail. Therefore, when you run to Him as Pastor Lyte did when he wrote this hymn, you will receive the same comfort as he did.

I need Thy presence every passing hour;
What but Thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
Who, like Thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me.

As I have cried to my Lord many a time, I need thy presence, He has not failed me once! He has brought me through the clouds of despair and given me sunshine in my soul. I cannot, nor will not, look elsewhere for my strength but at the feet of the One who can strengthen me as I wait on Him.

Hymns 2.0 – I Need Thee Every Hour

By Kate Plourde

On October 2, 2023

In Devotionals, Hymns 2.0

Lyrics (click here to hear instrumental)

1. I need thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
no tender voice like thine can peace afford.
Refrain:
I need thee, O I need thee;
every hour I need thee;
O bless me now, my Savior, I come to thee.

2. I need thee every hour; stay thou nearby;
temptations lose their power when thou art nigh.
(Refrain)

3. I need thee every hour, in joy or pain;
come quickly and abide, or life is vain.
(Refrain)

4. I need thee every hour; teach me thy will;
and thy rich promises in me fulfill.
(Refrain)

5. I need thee every hour, most Holy One;
O make me thine indeed, thou blessed Son.
(Refrain)
Annie Sherwood Hawks (1835-1918)

The History Behind the Hymn

This hymn by Annie Sherwood Hawks (1835-1918) reflects the same general characteristics as those of the other four 19th-century women hymn writers discussed during Lent.

The women all employ first-person accounts that grow out a deep personal piety, resulting in a language of intimacy between the singer and the Savior.

A New York native, Hawks displayed a gift for verse at the early age of 14, contributing poems on a regular basis to a variety of newspapers. Though she composed over 400 hymn texts, “I Need Thee Every Hour” is the only hymn of hers that is still sung today.

Following her marriage to Charles Hawks in 1859, much of Hawks’ life centered on the domestic aspects of rearing three children. She was a member of Hanson Place Baptist Church in Brooklyn, N.Y., where Dr. Robert Lowry, a prominent writer of gospel songs, was her pastor. Lowry encouraged the gift that he saw in Hawks’ poetry.

We have a personal account of the genesis of “I Need Thee Every Hour”: Hawks writes, “One day as a young wife and mother of 37 years of age, I was busy with my regular household tasks during a bright June morning [in 1872]. Suddenly, I became so filled with the sense of nearness to the Master that, wondering how one could live without Him, either in joy or pain, these words were ushered into my mind, the thought at once taking full possession of me — ‘I Need Thee Every Hour. . . .'”
https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-i-need-thee-every-hour

A Lesson for Me

1 Peter 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

There is not a moment in my life as a believer where I haven’t needed the Lord! He’s present in every part, whether good or bad. He’s present when I sin against Him, and when I have victory over sin. There is no where that I can hide from His presence because His Spirit is with me. (1 Corinthians 6:19)

2. I need thee every hour; stay thou nearby;
temptations lose their power when thou art nigh.

Message for today

Christians seem to forget that God is omnipresent – meaning He is everywhere at all times. Just because we cannot comprehend that characteristic of God with our finite minds, it doesn’t mean it isn’t true. There are so many aspects of our Heavenly Father’s character that we fail to remember just who He is!

Psa 139:7-10 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? (8) If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. (9) If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; (10) Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.

Not only is He the creator of absolutely everything, He is all powerful and there is nothing too difficult for Him. He is omniscient – He knows everything, yes even your deepest thoughts hidden in the corner of your heart. There is nothing about you He does not know. That is why it is to your benefit to confess your faults daily to Him. Keep your accounts short!

3. I need thee every hour, in joy or pain;
come quickly and abide, or life is vain.

Are you hurting and those around you have abandoned you? Turn to Him with your needs! Do you have a physical trial which leaves you without strength? Turn to Him. There is no item so small that you cannot share with the Lord. Our author became aware of her need for the Lord while she performed her duties as a wife and mother! Such simple tasks brought to her mind her need for Him. For some, it takes a major trial before they come to the realization that they need God. Our lesson here is, as believers we should seek Him and need Him every hour!!