A Hymn

Two lines of this were quoted in Spurgeon's Treasury of David, and I searched online to find the author. I didn't find the author, but I found the whole poem it went with.  Then, I looked in C.H. Spurgeon's Our Own Hymnbook, and found it, under the title of "Jesus, my great High Priest," and with a few other verses.  Apparently it is by Isaac Watts.  Enjoy!

~~~

Join all the glorious names
Of wisdom, love, and power,
That mortals ever knew,
That angels ever bore:
All are too mean to speak His worth,
Too mean to set my Saviour forth.

Great Prophet of my God,
My tongue would bless Thy name;
By Thee the joyful news
Of our salvation came:
The joyful news of sins forgiven,
Of hell subdued, and peace with heaven.

Jesus, my great High Priest,
Offered His blood, and died:
My guilty conscience seeks
No sacrifice beside:
His powerful blood did once atone
And now it pleads before the throne.

My dear Almighty Lord,
My Conqueror and my King!
Thy matchless power and love,
Thy saving grace, I sing:
Thine is the power   oh, may I sit
In willing bonds beneath Thy feet.

Then let my soul arise,
And tread the tempter down;
My Captain leads me forth
To conquest and a crown.
The feeblest saint shall win the day,
Though death and hell obstruct the way.

Should all the hosts of death,
And powers of hell unknown,
Put their most dreadful forms
Of rage and mischief on,
I shall be safe; for Christ displays
Superior power and guardian grace.

~

(Additional verses, which may have been first.)

To this dear Surety's hand
Will I commit my cause;
He answers and fulfills
His Father's broken laws;
Behold my soul at freedom set!
My Surety paid the dreadful debt.

My Advocate appears
For my defense on high;
The Father bows His ears,
And lays His thunder by;
Not all that hell or sin can say
Shall turn His heart, His love away.

Immense compassion reigns
In my Immanuel's heart,
He condescends to act
A Mediator's part:
He is my friend and brother too,
Divinely kind, divinely true.

Isaac Watts, 1709.

Mines & Mindsets

At home sits a girl, a laptop propped on her lap, music going in her ears.  Clicking mindlessly at the beginning of a dozen minesweeper games, she wonders when the big field will open up where there are few mines.  Just a few more games. Just a few more minutes.  What else is there to do, after all?  Draw-- play music--write--where is the meaning in that?  Oh, perhaps there is more meaning in it than games, but there is always time for that later.  A time when she's feeling more inspired.

The truth is, life is a lot like the minefield on minesweeper.  There are dangers, yes, but we want to find the easiest path with few mines, or what looks like few mines.  But the clear field is really just pushing the mines outward, not lessening the number; they gang up on you in the end, and then they are all the trickier to overcome.

A few obstacles and hardships are helpful along the way to keep us careful, learning, and dependent on God.

And sometimes the littlest things we do are used to the greatest effect by a God who is bigger than all.

If we stop and think, our talents can be used by God, can be a blessing to others, and most definitely are more important than a game of minesweeper, where the only reward is a name on the high score list.


*You do need a bit of a clear field to open up when playing Minesweeper, but if you keep clicking and waiting, you will run into mines, and the game is then over.  Or, like I said, it may be that more mines will be clustered together later and make it harder to finish--that's sort of a working theory.  And I try not to play the game too often.

The Call to Wonder - Book Review

This is an amazing book for those of us who have lost at least some of our childlike wonder and trust. I wasn't quite sure how much it would help me, because I already marvel at God's creation. But there is so much more to it than that! And I still take God's creation for granted sometimes and focus on the downsides of things. From topics on humility, joy, and drawing near to God, there are so many things to learn from this book! One of the big things for me was the reminder that God is a loving Father to His children. Obvious point, but for some reason my mind tends to stay on the judging, angry side of God, when He placed the punishment for sin on His Son. We are still called to maturity and holiness, of course, but we should love and seek those because we love God.

The story Dr. R. C. Sproul Jr. told of his daughter, "Princess Happy" just blew me out of the water, too. She and others like her are a gift, not a burden, and they are our spiritual betters in many ways! They know how to trust, to enjoy, and to please.

Even if I didn't agree with every little point of the book, it still deserves a definite 5 stars.

Here are a few quotes from the book:

“There's this thing that I like to call the RC Sproul principle of hermeneutics.
When you're reading the Bible and you come across someone doing something really stupid, don't say to yourself "I'm glad I'm not him." Ask yourself "How am I that stupid?”

"Daily I witness my spiritual betters in my own children. When the snows come, I see ice crystals falling, slick roads, and rising heat bills. They sit at the window in awe of God's creativity. When nighttime falls and the stars shine, I muse about burning balls of hydrogen. They join the dancing of the spheres in celebration of God who made them. When our family sits down to eat, I envision a cluttered kitchen and dishes needing to be washed. They see daily bread delivered by their faithful heavenly Father."

"If you should ever be blessed to be far enough from the cacophony of civilization when a heavy snow falls, you can even hear the very music of the iced dew's delicate descent. It is the repainting of a landscape in a thousand hues of white. It is the dance of the wind."

"The trees in the fields clap their hands, not as solemn applause but as giddy frolic. The seas roar, not like a lion but like the crowd at the football game."

"Because we are more adult than actually mature, we tend to take our sins and baptize them, dressing them up as spiritual maturity."

"Perhaps the most shockingly transcendent thing about the God we worship is that He is pleased to stoop down to us, to draw near, to know us, love us, walk with us, and call us all by name."

"The call to delight in our heavenly Father is not one that can be rightly obeyed with bootstrap effort. One cannot grimly determine to rejoice in the grace of God. The only way to rejoice the way David did is to be overcome with emotion. David's joyous dance was true to who he was and true to how he felt about God. It was David becoming like a child, so much so that he insisted on giving in to his willingness, even his eagerness, to become undignified."

"Instead of seeing all of this as God's extraordinary grace, we come to expect the comfort and joys that God gives us as the baseline, the measure of what we believe to be our due. When our comfort level drops below our expectations, we are shocked and angered, and even foolishly express our outrage to God Himself."

Recommended for everyone, especially grown-up Christians, who may have to grow down. :)

Lyrics and Quote from the Treasury of David

Hymn of Gethsemane - quite lovely!

Verse 12. For innumerable evils have compassed me about: mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of mine head. We lose ourselves when we speak of the sins of our lives. It may astonish any considering man to take notice how many sins he is guilty of any one day; how many sins accompany any one single act; nay, how many bewray themselves in any one religious duty. Whensoever ye do anything forbidden, you omit the duty at that time commanded; and whenever you neglect that which is enjoined, the omission is joined with the acting of something forbidden; so that the sin, whether omission or commission, is always double; nay, the apostle makes every sin tenfold. James 2:10. That which seems one to us, according to the sense of the law, and the account of God, is multiplied by ten. He breaks every command by sinning directly against one, and so sins ten times at once; besides that swarm of sinful circumstances and aggravations which surround every act in such numbers, as atoms use to surround your body in a dusty room; you may more easily number these than those. And though some count these but fractions, incomplete sins, yet even from hence it is more difficult to take an account of their number. And, which is more for astonishment, pick out the best religious duty that ever you performed, and even in that performance you may find such a swarm of sins as cannot be numbered. In the best prayer that ever you put up to God, irreverence, lukewarmness, unbelief, spiritual pride, self seeking, hypocrisy, distractions, etc., and many more, that an enlightened soul grieves and bewails; and yet there are many more that the pure eye of God discerns, than any man does take notice of. -- David Clarkson.

Selah - from the Treasury of David

There is much more written about this word, but this was the part I found more interesting. The four musical points are quite fascinating, though perhaps some of them are speculative:

Verse 5. Selah. A little word, yet of no small difficulty to explain. Left out of the Bible by the vulgar translators, as though it were impertinent, where, let them consider, whether they come not within the verge of that malediction in Revelation 22:19 . The ancient interpreters did not much meddle with it, and our editions leave it without interpretation. But seeing "whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope" Romans 15:4 , and till "heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" Matthew 5:18 , we have sufficient warrant after the example of the learned, and encouragement to make enquiry after the mind of the Holy Spirit, in that which he hath both commanded to be written, and hath commanded unto us. Wherein, like the crystal glass, I will rather present you with the true visage of antiquity, than use any newly framed feature or painting of my own.

Selah is mentioned seventy-four times in the Scripture, whereof seventy-one in the book of Psalms, and thrice in the prophet Habakkuk, which is written psalm wise; and it is ever placed in the end of a Psalm or verse, four places only excepted, where, like the sun in the midst of the planets, it is seated to conjoin the precedent words with the subsequent, and communicate splendour unto both. There was a threefold use of it in ancient times, whereof the first concerned the music; the second, the matter handled unto which it was affixed; and the third, the men or congregation assembled in the temple of the Lord, which two last may still have place among us Christians, who are ingrafted into the stock Christ, from whence the Jews were cut off, but from the first we cannot properly suck such nourishment as once they did.

First of the music. The king's choir ( 1 Chronicles 25:1-6 Psalms 62:1-12 , Epigrafh; 1 Chronicles 16:41 ) learned five things by it:

First. To make a little pause, stop, or stay, when they came to Selah, and to meditate awhile upon the matter foregoing.

Second. They knew by that cessation and interval that King David as he was prophesying unto the people, and praising God upon the loud sounding cymbals, was at that instant inspired and taught some new lesson. Wherefore, as men being in serious discourse, when they hear a sudden noise hold their peace to listen, saying, hark! see, lo! so David's heart being smitten by the voice of God's Spirit, the music ceased, stopped, and he checked himself as it were thus: "Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth."

Third. It signifieth the change and variation of the music in some strains, or of the metre, or sense, or disjunction of the rhyme, or ceasing of some one sort of music, which howsoever St. Hierome makes some scruple of. The Septuagint, as often as they meet with Selah in the Hebrew text, in their Greek version translated it, the change of the song.

Fourth. It directed them to sing the same verse over again whereunto Selah was annexed. Lastly, it was their instruction to elevate and lift up their voices, praising God with louder voices and loud sounding cymbals. Selah called upon them for louder strains of music and shrillness of voice. But seeing the Jewish harmony and sweet melody is overwhelmed in the ruins of their glorious temple, we remain unskilled in their notes, which doth obscure our annotations upon it. Let this suffice for the "music."  - Edmund Layfielde. 
 

Quotes

Comments on Psalm 40:8

'I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.'



'That [Jesus] came into the world to die for us is a mercy of the first magnitude; but that he came in love to our souls, and underwent all his sufferings with such willingness for our sakes, this heightens it above all apprehension.
...
Did Christ find pleasure in abasement and torment, in suffering and dying for me, and can I find no pleasure in praying, hearing, meditating, and enjoying the sweet duties of communion with him? Did he come so cheerfully to die for me, and do I go so dead heartedly to prayers and sacraments to enjoy fellowship with him? Was it a pleasure to him to shed his blood, and is it none to me to apply it, and reap the benefits of it? O let there be no more grumblings, lazy excuses, shiftings of duty, or dead hearted and listless performances of them, after such an example as this. Be ready to do the will of God, be ye also ready to suffer it. And as to sufferings for Christ, they should not be grievous to Christians that know how cheerfully Christ came from the bosom of the Father to die for them. What have we to leave or lose, in comparison with him? What are our sufferings to Christ's? Alas! there is no compare; there was more bitterness in one drop of his sufferings than in a sea of ours. To conclude: your delight and readiness in the paths of obedience is the very measure of your sanctification.' - Condensed from John Flavel.

'Thy law is within my heart. The law of God is not to be kept in books, but in the midst of our heart, that we may rightly understand the same, admire it, and observe it.' - Martin Geier.

'This law was in his heart, in the midst of his bowels. He did as much delight in it as we do in following those inclinations which nature has implanted in our hearts, as we do in eating and drinking. So he expresses it John 4:34 , "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work." He was as willing to bleed and die for thee as thou art to eat when hungry. He was delighted as much to be scourged, wounded, crucified, as thou delightest in meat when most delicious.' - David Clarkson.

The Last Day of Your Life

What would you do differently if you knew today was "The Last Day of Your Life"?
What if you knew this morning, when you opened your eyes in bed,
That today would be the last one for you, with eternity stretching ahead?
How would you change your schedule today if you knew it would be your last?
Who would you thank for investing in you, in the present and the past?
How would your life’s perspective

s shift from long-term goals to ‘today’
If you knew that in twenty-four hours or less it would all be swept away?
Would your bank account or investment plans matter so much to you
As the legacy you’ve left for your heirs of a faith that’s tried and true?
If you had but one more day to live, to cut through all your losses,
To cast aside the burden of unnecessary crosses,
There waits someone to hear words of forgiveness from your lips;
Perhaps some sinful habit holds you in its steely grip?
Your treasures seem but baubles as you view eternity
And cast aside those lesser things with faith in God’s decrees.
Which souls need Gospel tidings from your mouth to turn their hearts?
When did you leave your “first love” and make other things your art?
If this day were your last on earth, how would your mindset shift
From getting more possessions to giving yourself as a gift;
From making more excuses for laziness and pride
To industry and selflessness, taking the pain in stride.
I beg of you as I ask myself, dear friend, as the moments pass
To remember that life is oh so short: what’s done for Christ will last.
-Becky B. Morecraft

Thanks to Mrs. Morecraft for letting me post her poem!

A friend of ours recently died in a car crash--so unexpected and sad.  We knew him for many years--we met through homeschooling, and he grew up playing with us. He was a talented pianist, too.  Please pray for his family!  His name was Matthew Dunlop, and he is survived by parents, a sister, brother-in-law, nieces, and a nephew.  He was only twenty-nine years old.  We have hopes that he is in heaven, now, praise the Lord.

We never know when our time will come.

 

Two Sites for Buying Organic/Natural Products

Here are two sites for buying natural/organic products!  We've been inspired to use more of them after going to the Reformation of Food and the Family Conference, because some of the chemicals and things can really be harmful to us. (It was a great conference, by the way! There was a lot to learn and fun cooking contests.)

We are friends with these people. And from what we've tried of them so far, we really do like their products, and have heard good testimonials.

First is Dominion Acres, run by a lovely Christian family. We've tried their honey, some of their soap, their shampoo bar, and a couple of their lip balms (Lemon Meringue and Black Cherry).  It's all good!  I've only used the shampoo bar twice so far, but it had some lather and seemed to clean my hair about as well as any shampoo!  I was a bit skeptical about it at first, but seriously...it does seem to work well, and smells nice, too. 

The second is Naturally Green Girl by our two sweet and knowledgeable Christian friends, Hannah and Esther.  We haven't tried their stuff, yet, but we've had a testimonial from a friend who said their underarm deodorant worked well.  We have their cookbook, OATS: That's What's for Breakfast, which includes lovely color photos, and almost half are gluten free. I've only tried one of the simpler recipes from it so far, but it was good.

Wonderous Grace!

Romans 3: 21-26:
'But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.'

Book Review - Your Life Without Limits (10-PK): Living Above Your Circumstances

This booklet is encouraging, but since it is short, it doesn't delve into things in depth.  It also seems to offer hope without God, though the author says he takes hope from God, as a Christian.  But is there any true, lasting hope without God? Perhaps the author is not saying there is, but it struck me in the wrong way.  Also cites secular people as heroes, which is not ideal. But there are some bits of wisdom, as he focuses on having hope even in difficult situations, and knowing that God has good plans for His children. I also found it interesting to learn about some of his difficulties, despair, and how he came through them.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review, but my opinion is unbiased.