Sorrows like sea billows

One of my favorite hymns is "It is well with my soul" by Horatio Spafford.  We sang it in church yesterday and it always brings such joy when we sing it.  Great songs are an excellent way to express the wonderful mercies of our Lord.  But they can become even more meaningful when you learn about the person who wrote them.  

Horatio Spafford lived in the 19th century and was a very wealthy man at one time.  Sadly he lost most of his wealth in the Chicago fire, what an awful thing.  But that was nothing compared to what happened later in his life, when he lost four daughters as they were sailing from America to England.  Later, as the story goes, Spafford sailed over the same area where the ship sunk and killed his daughters.  It was on that trip that the song was penned which contains the lyrics "When peace like a river attendeth my way, when sorrows like sea billows roll, whatever my lot Thou hast taught me to say it is well, it is well with my soul."  

Can you imagine?  Me either!  God sustained Spafford through horrific events that we can't even imagine.  How do you get through this stuff?  The Bible teaches us that God gets us through these things.  I've never been through this kind of tragedy, but I trust that God would sustain me through unspeakable pain.

What's I love about the song so much though is how it shows what Spafford was clinging to.  "My sin O, the bliss of this glorious tho't- my sin not in part, but the whole, is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul."  And it goes on to say "And, Lord, haste the day when the faith shall be sight, the clouds be rolled back as a scroll, the trump shall resound and the Lord shall descend, even so it is well with my soul."

It's what Christ has done and what God is going to do that gets us through unspeakable pain.  May that minister to your soul today.

God Bless

My brother's keeper

"I do not know, am I my brother's keeper?"  Genesis 4:9

You've likely read this verse in your reading of the Bible.  After the fall of Adam the depravity of man is manifest in the killing of Abel by his brother Cain.  Have you ever thought of this verse in the context of the family of God though?  "I'm so glad I'm a part of the family of God," goes the famous hymn.  When a person is saved he or she becomes a part of God's family, a group of people adopted by God through the cleansing and forgiveness provided by God's Son Jesus Christ. It's an amazing thing to think about.  We become  children of the living God, the Maker of the universe, and we become spiritual siblings with other children of the living God. We begin to have a connection with other Christians, we grow to love them, we have a connection with them that we don't have with others.  We even have a connection with brothers and sisters in Christ that we meet for the first time.  I'm so thankful that I'm a child of God!

So what about your brothers and sisters?  Do you take an interest in their well-being?  What about those who are missing?  You know the ones I'm talking about don't you?  They're members of the church but they don't come anymore.  Maybe they got their feelings hurt somewhere along the way.  Maybe the pastor hurt them somehow (A distinct possibility). Maybe they've run into some really hard things in their life and they don't know where to turn.  

Think today about those folks.  Pray for those folks.  Go to those folks.  Let them know that the Bible warns against forsaking the assembling of yourselves.  Love 'em.  Their your brothers and sisters!

God Bless  

My bucket list

I was thinking the other day about what would be on my bucket list.  What do you mean you don't know what a bucket list is?   You know, a list of things you'd like to do before you kick the bucket! Alright, I know that's really crude.  Anyway, we all have plans don't we.  Goals.  Dreams.  Things we'd like to do.  Things we'd like to see the Lord do.  I don't think there is anything wrong with having goals or plans, but this morning during my quiet time I came across a text that I've read a million times that really shook me up.

"Then Jesus told his disciples, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.  For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul?"  Matthew 16:24-26a

To deny your self is to disown yourself, to take up your cross is to die to self, to follow Him is to be His companion and disciple.  Jesus becomes the One who calls the shots.  He's the One who has the plans and reveals them to you.  He's the One whose will we seek to obey.  We die to our own plans and follow His.

A bucket list is fine as long as you always know that His plan trumps yours!  Today you may want to come to Jesus in prayer and reaffirm that He is your Master and you are available to do as He pleases.

God Bless

Got Joy?

"But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy."  Psalm 5:11

"You make known to me the path of life; in your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."  Psalm 16:11

"And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the Lord."  Psalm 27:6

"For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.  Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning."  Psalm 30:5

"Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!"  Psalm 32:11

"Let those who delight i my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, 'Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servant!"  Psalm 35:27

"Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy, and I will praise you with the lyre, O God, my God."  Psalm 43:4

"Restore to me the joy of your salvation."  Psalm 51:12

Do you have joy today?

God Bless