Tag: John 8:12

Hymns 2.0 – Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

On October 20, 2023

Lyrics (click here to hear instrumental)

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Refrain:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Thro’ death into life everlasting,
He passed, and we follow Him there;
O’er us sin no more hath dominion–
For more than conqu’rors we are!

His Word shall not fail you–He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!
Helen Lemmel

The History Behind the Hymn

Few know, however, this call to fix your eyes on Christ was given by a blind woman!

Born in 1864, Helen Lemmel moved to the United States around the age of twelve. From a young age, her musical ability was noticed by all those around her.

In 1907, She moved to Germany for 4 years to undergo intensive music training. It was here that she would meet her husband. Together, they returned to the United States in 1911. While in America, she served faithfully in the Lord’s work. She dedicated herself to writing, arranging, and teaching songs and hymns of the faith

A few years after her marriage, a tragic illness caused her to lose her vision. Her husband, refusing to attend to a blind wife, left her. This time of hurt and loss weighed heavily upon Helen.

Then, in 1918, Lemmel was introduced to a pamphlet written by Algerian missionary Lilias Trotter. Trotter was a well-known artist who had given up a rising and lucrative career to serve the Lord on the mission field. Her words stirred the heart of Lemmel. She writes, “Suddenly, as if commanded to stop and listen, I stood still, and, singing in my soul and spirit was the chorus, with not one conscious moment of putting word to word to make rhyme, or note to note to make melody…These verses were written…the same week…”

The words that so captivated Helen were these: “How do we bring things to a focus in the world of optics? Not by looking at the things to be dropped, but by looking at the one point that is to be brought out. Turn full your soul’s vision to Jesus, and look…look at Him, and a strange dimness will come over all that is apart from Him, and the Divine “attrait” by which God’s saints are made…will lay hold of you. For “He is worthy” to have all there is to be had in the heart that He has died to win.”

Helen kept her eyes on the Lord Jesus and continued to serve Him faithfully. She would lead a women’s choral group for many of the Billy Sunday outreaches, teach music at the Moody Bible Institute, and pen over 400 hymns! Her life is a stirring challenge to us all. Hence, it may be said that although blind, her spiritual sight has challenged those of us who can see to keep our eyes fixed on Christ.
https://enjoyingthejourney.org/hymn-history-turn-your-eyes-upon-jesus/

A Lesson for Me

Act 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Consider your walk on this earth as a journey in total darkness. Your steps are uncertain and you must feel your way in order not to stumble. Along your journey, you find a flashlight and turn it on! All of a sudden, things are made clearer! The uncertainties of what lies ahead is not so unsettling, is it?

O soul, are you weary and troubled?
No light in the darkness you see?
There’s light for a look at the Savior,
And life more abundant and free!

Message for today

Jesus said He is the light of the world in John 8:12. Today’s hymn depicts this beautifully! It reveals to us that the Saviour, Jesus Christ, is a light in the darkness. But what darkness?

The human heart is filled with wickedness.

Jer 17:9 The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

One only has to create a check list of the Ten Commandments and put a checkmark next to each commandment one has broken to discover that Jeremiah had it right.

Jesus says that He is the light of the world. The light of His Gospel reveals to us that He is the Son of God – He is God; He came for one purpose and that was to save us from our sins. He wants to shine truth and salvation into our hearts so we can plainly see our sins and admit we need a Saviour. (John 3:16, John 1:1)

Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Eph 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Every person must realize that there is no way to receive God’s peace through one’s own merit. The light of the Gospel now begins to shine in man’s heart and he looks to God’s Word for redemption. Jesus took our sins and nailed them to the cross because God knew that man could not earn or work his way to Heaven.

Col 2:14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;

Once one recognizes and confesses his own sin and accepts Christ’s redeeming work on the cross, he is born again. A new life is given and that soul is no longer walking in darkness but in the light of the Word of God.

God’s Word will never fail you. Now tell someone else about what God has done for you!

His Word shall not fail you–He promised;
Believe Him, and all will be well:
Then go to a world that is dying,
His perfect salvation to tell!

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!

Rapture and End Time News – Klaus Schwab Identifies Who Will Control the World

By Kate Plourde

On August 10, 2023

In Devotionals, Rapture and End Time News

Technology has grown by leaps and bounds in the 21st Century. What was considered “space age” technology made for the movies and TV have now become state-of-the-art and implemented into our society. So what’s the next step? Where will we be in ten years from now? Klaus Schwab, head of the World Economic Forum (WEF), tells us where we’ll be.

Klaus Schwab identifies who ‘will be the master of the world’

“We are at the beginning, when you look at it, at technology transformation, it usually takes place in the terms of an S-curve. And we are just now where we move into the exponential phase. And I agree, artificial intelligence, but not only artificial intelligence, but also the metaverse, new space technologies, and I could go on and on, synthetic biology. Our life in 10 years from now will be completely different, very much affected, and who masters those technologies, in some way, will be the master of the world.”—Klaus Schwab.

So where does the Christian fit into all of this? Do we succumb to worldly phenomenon? Do we buy into the latest and greatest? Where do we stop following after the world and reject what they are pushing? When does the Church take a stand for what is the truth?

Pro 3:5-6 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. (6) In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

The Bible promises believers that when we trust in the Lord, He will direct our paths. His Holy Spirit will tell us what to do when times of uncertainty arise. Jesus told us that He is the light of the world and we WILL NOT walk in darkness. We will have the truth revealed to us in all things. God does not want His child to walk in confusion.

1 Cor 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

Joh 14:27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Have that peace in the midst of the storm, just as Peter did when he got off the boat to walk on the water toward Jesus. He wavered because he took his eyes off Jesus. May we not waver by looking at the circumstances all around us. Let us look to Jesus and hold fast to that peace as we walk in His light through His Word!

The time is coming when it will be too late for you to repent. You will remember each opportunity you were given by God to be saved; you will remember each time you laughed it off and ignored it. Please Reader, repent and accept Christ into your life. (Act 16:31, Rom 10:9) I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. 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!

Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled by Jesus – Day 25

By Kate Plourde

On October 7, 2022

In Devotionals, Messianic Prophecies Fulfilled By Jesus

It’s a new day and in my brain comes thoughts of Christ’s return to Rapture His Church! Who belongs to His church, you ask? All born-again believers from the time of Jesus’ resurrection to the day of Rapture will be included. I’m not talking about people who claim to be saved but live like the devil. I’m talking about people who actually repented of their old life and have lived for the Lord! (2Corinthians 5:17) I look forward to the Rapture every single day. Why every day? Have you looked around you and thought that the world has literally turned upside down? I look around and see people calling the killing of babies in the womb “good for women”; even up to when they come out of the birth canal 😥 I see “scientists” actually saying there are more than two sexes and cannot define what is a woman! I see church members fighting amongst themselves over social issues. My heart breaks but I know in my heart that God’s Word is always true and He said this would happen. (2Samuel 7:28, Psalm 119:160, John 17:17 and many more) Therefore, that is why I believe with all my heart that the time is here for the Tribulation to begin. (2Timothy 3:1-7) It cannot begin however, until the Rapture has occurred. This is why I think of the Rapture every single day! 😀 These times were prophesied in Isaiah and Jesus spoke of it as well.

Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

Today’s prophecy of Jesus Christ, our Messiah, is about Him being the Rock. However, to top it off, Samuel also mentions that the Messiah would be the “light.” Do you recall the Scriptures where Jesus taught about building a house on a rock or sand? Jesus said that the person who builds his spiritual life upon a rock, his house would not fall because it was built upon a rock. Because our faith and salvation are based on the Rock, we are solid and safe in Him. You can read more about the Lord being called a rock in: Deuteronomy 32:15, 2Samuel 22:47, 2Samuel 23:3, Psalm 62:7, Psalm 89:26, Psalm 94:22, Psalm 95:1, and Isaiah 17:10. It is no coincidence, friend.

Prophecy of Messiah:
2 Samuel 23:2-4 The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue. (3) The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. (4) And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.

Notice that the God of Israel was spoken to by the Rock of Israel! If you’re Jewish, this verse should cause you to wonder who in the world is speaking to God!

Jesus is the Rock that is prophesied. The Apostle Paul makes it clear below; as plain as the nose on your face. The Rock is Jesus Christ, the Messiah and Saviour of mankind! This same Jesus sheds His light upon our hearts and leads us to Him through His Word.

Prophecy of Messiah Fulfilled:
1 Corinthians 10:4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Don’t walk in darkness, Reader. Please, I beg of you, to make sure that you know Him today. Allow the beautiful light of the Gospel of Christ shine in your hearts; let it shine upon your sins so that you can seek forgiveness, repent (2Corinthians 5:17) and be saved through salvation in Jesus Christ. He will forgive your sins and will lead you to the truth and knowledge in His Word.

Do you know Him personally or do you only know of Him? I want to be sure that anyone who reads the posts on this blog can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are going to Heaven. Have you received Christ as your Saviour? If no, your sins are not covered by His sacrificial offering of Himself. You have not been redeemed by His blood. 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 to You Can Be Born Again and Know It!