Great is God's Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, They fail not;
As thou hast been Thou forever will be.

Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thy own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

-- "Great is Thy Faithfulness" by Thomas O. Chisholm

"Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow..." These word have been on my mind the last couple of days. I have taken comfort in the fact that God will give me strength for today. I feel so feeble, so weak. My faith wavers; my trust fails. Like Peter, I take my eyes off of my beautiful Lord and look at storm around me; I sink in the tumultuous waves. I need a Power that is not my own. I need Guidance and direction from Above. I need the mercy of the Lord. Praise God for the comfort found in His Word! Lamentations 3:22-23, "The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end;they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

"Summer AND winter..." Lord, I thank You, that You are not only faithful in the summer when life is abundant and lush. You are also faithful in the desolate winter. When the harsh winds blow and the trees are barren, You are near. You shelter and protect. In my winters, Lord, help me to trust You. Remind me of Your faithfulness. Help me to see the "blessings all mine with ten thousand beside." Your faithfulness is great! Thank you for providing all that I need during each season of my life. "Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!"

Complete in Christ

Complete in Thee! No work of mine may take, dear Lord, the place of Thine; Thy blood hath pardon bought for me, and I am now complete in Thee.

Yea, justified! O blessed thought! And sanctified, salvation wrought! Thy blood hath pardon bought for me, and glorified, I too, shall be!

Complete in Thee, no more shall sin – Thy grace hath conquered – reign within; Thy voice shall bid the tempter flee, and I shall stand complete in Thee.

Complete in Thee—each want supplied, and no good thing to me denied; since Thou my portion, Lord, wilt be, I ask no more, complete in Thee.

Dear Savior, when before Thy bar all tribes and tongues assembled are, among Thy chosen will I be, at Thy right hand—complete in Thee!
-- "Complete in Thee" by Aaron R. Wolfe, Refrain by James M. Gray

We search for so many completers... wealth, fame, friends, a spouse, a baby, success... the list goes on and on. Why do we search for temporal satisfaction? Why do I yearn for more when Christ is all I need? "Thy blood hath pardon bought for me, and I am now complete in Thee."

Complete in Christ -- my Savior, my All in All, my Shepherd, my King -- how can I ask for more? Why do I chase after the cares of this world? Lord, let me rest -- complete in Thee.

Lord, I lift my voice and thank You. "Dear Savior, when before Thy bar all tribes and tongues assembled are, among Thy chosen will I be, at Thy right hand - complete in Thee!" Thank You for saving me! Thank You for rescuing me from my sin, my deceitful heart, my eternal punishment. "Thy blood hath pardon bought for me, and glorified I too shall be."

Jesus, my Master

Jesus, Master, Whose I am,
Purchased Thine alone to be
By thy blood, O spotless Lamb,
Shed so willingly for me,
Let my heart be all Thine own,
Let me live to Thee alone.

Jesus, Master, I am Thine:
Keep me faithful, keep me near;
Let Thy presence in me shine
All my homeward way to cheer.
Jesus, at thy feet I fall,
O be Thou my all in all.

-- from "Whose I Am" by Frances Havergal

Acknowledging Jesus as my Master -- I know that in a heartbeat I would say, "Of course Jesus is my Master; He purchased me with His blood." Yet I must survey my daily life. Do I live as though Jesus is my Master? You see, that is the defining reality isn't it. "Talk is cheap."

I desire to live with Christ as my Head, my Master. I was once a slave to sin, yet He rescued me! My life is His. "Purchased Thine alone to be..." Lord Jesus, with Your life's blood You redeemed me. I was drowning in my guilt and sin, but You reached out and rescued me. You willingly gave Your body, blood, and life for me; I humbly thank You. Lord, "let my heart be all Thine own; let me live for Thee alone." I do not want to be distracted by the glitter of the world. I do not want my heart to be divided. I want to be wholly Thine. "Keep me faithful" to You. "Keep me near" to Your heart. I want others to see You in me. Help me to "shine" with Your presence and bless those around me. I fall before You in gratitude and humility. Teach me, mold me, use me. Master, be my "all in all."

Resting in Jesus

Jesus, I am resting, resting, in the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee, and Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power, thou hast made me whole.

O, how great Thy loving kindness, vaster, broader than the sea!
O, how marvelous Thy goodness, lavished all on me!
Yes, I rest in Thee, Beloved, know what wealth of grace is Thine,
Know Thy certainty of promise, and have made it mine.

Simply trusting Thee, Lord Jesus, I behold Thee as Thou art,
And Thy love, so pure, so changeless, satisfies my heart;
Satisfies its deepest longings, meets, supplies its every need,
Compasseth me round with blessings: thine is love indeed!

Ever lift Thy face upon me as I work and wait for Thee;
Resting ’neath Thy smile, Lord Jesus, earth’s dark shadows flee.
Brightness of my Father’s glory, sunshine of my Father’s face,
Keep me ever trusting, resting, fill me with Thy grace.

-- from "Jesus, I am Resting" by Jean Sophia Pigott

Rest -- who does not yearn for this sometimes seemingly unattainable luxury? Jesus said, "Come unto Me all ye who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give thee rest." Sometimes my anxious soul refuses to be still. I worry and worry. I fear and fret. Lord, help me to rest in the joy of You. Nothing else can satisfy the longings of my heart, no matter how good those desires seem to be. You alone can "satisfy my deepest longing, meet, supply my every need."

I am blessed beyond measure. I cannot ever adequately voice my gratitude to my Heavenly Father for His love! Help me, Lord, to understand that Your love can sustain me. I need not fret about the future; I can rest in Your loving care. "Keep me ever trusting, resting, fill me with Thy grace!"

Meditating on God's Love

O wondrous love, that will not let me go,
I cling to You with all my strength and soul.
Yet if my hold should ever fail,
This wondrous love, will never let me go.

O wondrous love that's come to dwell in me!
Lord, who am I that I should come to know
Your tender voice, assuring me,
Your wondrous love will never let me go?

I'm resting in the everlasting arms,
In the ever-faithful heart,
The Shepherd of my life.
You carry me on Your mighty wings of grace,
Keeping me until the day I look into Your eyes.

O wondrous love, that sings of Calvary,
The sweetest sound this sinner's ever known;
The song of Your redeeming Son,
Whose wondrous love will never let me go.

I'm resting in the everlasting arms,
In the ever-faithful heart,
The Shepherd of my life.
You carry me on Your mighty wings of grace,
Keeping me until the day I look into Your eyes.

O wondrous love that rushes over me,
I can't escape this river's glorious flow.
You overwhelm my days with good.
Your wondrous love will never let me go.

O wondrous love, O wondrous love.
Will never let me go.
-- from "O Wondrous Love" by Steve and Vikki Cook

Some days, I feel like I am just "clinging" to my Wondrous Love. My knuckles turn white with the strain; my broken heart bends under the weight of my burdens. Will I be able to hold on? Will this fragile form crumple under the pressure? "Yet if my hold should ever fail, this Wondrous Love will NEVER let me go."

I find comfort in that thought. This song is rich with comforting thoughts. God's everlasting arms will hold me. When I cannot go on, He will carry me. He will Shepherd me and guide me until the day I look into His eyes. What a beautiful thought -- looking into my Savior's eyes. What love will I see there! What comfort! What forgiveness! Who am I that I should know His "tender voice assuring me"? I am nothing, yet His love rushes over me. "I can't explain this river's glorious flow." I am overwhelmed!

Lord, never let me go! I need you!

God's Grace

Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt,
Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilt.

Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God's grace,
Grace that is greater than all my sin.

Sin and despair like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide,
What can avail to wash it away?
Look! there is flowing a crimson tide;
Whiter than snow you may be today.

-- from "Grace That Is Greater Than All Our Sin" by Julia Johnson

"Look!!! There is flowing a crimson tide; whiter than snow you may be today!" Thank You, thank You, thank You! My Refuge, thank You for the promise that "where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Thank You for covering me with Your righteousness. Your grace points me to Your redeeming work on the cross, and "I stand, I stand in awe of You. Holy God to Whom all praise is due, I stand in awe of You!"

I love the line from this wonderful hymn about God's grace that says "Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace -- freely bestowed on all who believe..." I want to meditate on each word.

Marvelous -- can we ever cease to marvel at the wonder of God's grace?
Infinite-- my finite mind can never comprehend the depth of His grace.
Matchless-- nothing, absolutely nothing, compares to the promise I have in His grace. It is by grace that I am saved! Praise the Lord for His grace that is greater than all my sin!!!

Oh the deep, deep love!!!!

How deep the Father's love for us ,
How vast beyond all measure
That He would give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure!

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One
Bring many sons to glory .

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders.
Ashamed, I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers.

It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished.
His dying breath has brought me life;
I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything:
No gifts, no pow'r, no wisdom.
But I will boast in Jesus Christ ,
His death and resurrection.

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer,
But this I know with all my heart,
His wounds have paid my ransom.
-- from "How Deep the Father's Love" by Stuart Townend

I cannot begin to fathom the Father's love for me. When I meditate upon His goodness, His mercy, His sacrifice, I flounder for adequate words of gratitude. So often I find myself wanting things and demanding them of God. How ungrateful of me! How depraved!! I deserve nothing, yet He gave His only Son to make this wretch His treasure. His treasure! What a thought!

"Why should I gain?" I am nothing. Yet here is the greatest paradox of all time: the God of all gods loves me and knows the number of hairs on my head. I am precious to Him! "Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer." His love for me is beyond my comprehension, beyond human explanation. Praise be to God!

Thank You, Father God, for Your depth of love. Thank You for Your mercy. Thank You for Your compassion. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your sacrifice. Thank Tou for paying my sin's debt. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for working in my heart. Thank you for opening my eyes to my need and desperation. Thank you, Three-in-One, for creating me in Your image! What rich treasures do I have in You!!!