Hymn of the Day
(tune: "Amazing Grace"p.236)
When I look in my wretched heart, And there my nature see;
This is my hope, this is my joy, That Jesus lived for me.
When I behold God's Holy law, And there my sentence see;
This is my hope, this is my joy, That Jesus died for me.
When I see how my days are mixed, With joy and misery;
This is my hope, this is my joy; That Jesus rules for me.
And when I ponder on my life, How swift its end must be!
This is my hope, this is my joy, That Jesus lives for me.
When I look out upon this world, And there God's judgment see;
This is my hope, this is my joy, That Jesus comes for me.
And when I stand before God's throne, To hear His just decree;
This still my hope and joy shall be, Jesus sits there for me!
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Today's Hymns
According to Thy Gracious Word - #192
O, Thou In Whose Presence - #277
Jesus Paid It All - #125
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Special Dates: Sharon Laird – 27 ~ Taylor Hasche – 28
David and Angie – 28 ~ Scott and Amy – 29 ~ Scott Van Der Brink – 29
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Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish,
and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
Let him drink and forget his poverty,
and remember his misery no more.
Proverbs 31:6, 7
The man who is perishing does not need a glass of lemonade, rather he needs a drink of something which is much stronger. That which is from the distillery of heaven. The whole TRUTH of GOD set forth in the gospel of the glory of the blessed GOD is alone that which can minister help unto him. As Paul said, "I determined to know nothing among you but JESUS CHRIST and HIM crucified." No other message is suitable for his dire need. Those who are weighed down with the cares of life are enlivened to taste of the sweet wine of that same gospel. "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest." The needs of every sinner are met in that gospel which declares the sovereign SAVIOR who saves HIS sheep so that they shall never perish nor be plucked from HIS mighty hand. -Mike McInnis
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"Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish,
and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
Let him drink and forget his poverty,
and remember his misery no more."
Proverbs 31:6, 7
What is the strong drink of the gospel but the covenant love, faithfulness, and grace of Jehovah? And what is the wine of the gospel but the love of Jesus, which the church saith is better than wine? Tell a poor sinner that is ready to perish, of God the Father's everlasting love towards his people, who were all by nature sinners ready to perish, when God passed by and bid them live; tell them that such was God's love that he gave his only begotten Son, to the end that all that believe in him should not perish, but have everlasting life; tell them of Jesus, his Godhead, his Manhood—both natures united in one person, forming one Christ; tell them, that faith in his blood will save the soul; that God the Father hath respect only to the person and worth of his dear Son; and that for his sake, and his sake alone, the greatest saint, and the greatest sinner, if believers, are alike saved.
This is strong drink; and a poor perishing sinner needs the cordial. Neither will the heavy in heart be any more sad, that thus is made to drink of the wine of the gospel. My soul, hast thou tasted of this strong drink? Oh then, take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord! Drink of this cup which Jesus puts into thine hand, and in his riches forget thy poverty, and in his free, and full, and finished redemption remember thine own misery no more. Live only to Jesus, and let him be thy strong drink, thy wine, and thy cordial forever. -Robert Hawker
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The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;
the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 188.22-24
Nearly 2000 years ago, religious men rejected Christ, as would all men if left to themselves. But God raised Him from death to His right hand, giving Him preeminence over all. A new day was ushered in: the day of God's favor, the day of grace, the day of salvation. It is a day of God's making, stamped with God's approval. Any sinner may, with complete confidence, come to God through Christ, and find favor, grace and salvation from God. Indeed, we have cause to rejoice! Let us do so. Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice! –Joe
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Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. ~Proverbs 1.23
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It is good for us to feel that our sins cannot be forgiven by any method we can devise. "I just can't see how God can forgive me," is a good sentiment. Our hope of forgiveness must come utterly from outside ourselves; and that includes outside our wisdom. We cannot have discovered the gospel unless we have discovered a way of forgiveness totally foreign to our way of thinking. The absolute grace of the gospel will always be a stumbling block to our natural minds, but it is the gospel's very jaw-dropping wonderment that alerts us to its Divine origin. A gospel that is easy to believe is probably not God's gospel. Embrace a gospel so gracious that nothing but Divine grace could enable you to believe it. –Joe