Song/Poem – Page 2 – Sharing Christ

82. What if we quit?

gospelriver Song/Poem July 25, 2012 4 Comments

What if we quit? Who will bear the Good News,
Spread the glad message if we should refuse?
We must go forth: there is no other way:
Let us press on without further delay.

What if we quit when the way becomes hard?
Rugged and rough was the path of our Lord.
Bitter the cup which He drank for our sake:
He did not quit, nor His mission forsake.

What if we quit? Have we counted the cost?
Men in their sins are eternally lost.
Jesus has died their salvation to win:
Still they will perish and die in their sin.

What if we quit? Can we not hear the cry
Rising from souls who are fearful to die?
How can we carelessly heed not their plea?
Voices are calling to you and to me.

Lord of the Harvest, we go at Thy Word,
Spreading the gospel ’til all men have heard;
Promised Thy power to defeat every foe,
Promised Thy presence as onward we go.

by Ross Vanstone

The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. Luke 10:2

81. Before us stands the shrouded way

gospelriver Song/Poem June 11, 2012June 11, 2012 0 Comment

Before us stands the shrouded way,
The threshold dim, the path untrod.
For wisdom, courage, faith we pray
To tread it in the fear of God.

Thus far His love has brought us through;
And, come what may, one thing we know –
The hand that helped us hitherto
Will never, never let us go.

Beyond the partings and the pain,
Beyond the mists, in light divine,
We’ll catch the broken threads again,
All woven into one design.

I. Y. Ewan (verses 4-6)

64. Carpenter – King

gospelriver Song/Poem February 28, 2012 0 Comment

Carpenter – King

Inspired by “My boss is a Jewish carpenter”

My Lord was a Jewish carpenter,
But now He is the King.
Provider for a family here,
Yet He made everything.

Yes, King He is, with right to reign,
For He became so poor,
And Priest He is, always the same,
His grace and love is sure.

He’s building now the church, His bride.
Soon she will be complete;
We’ll worship Him who lives, who died,
Our crowns lay at His feet.

— NEB

Mark 6:3; 1Tim. 6:15; Heb. 1:10; 2Cor 8:9; Heb 2:17 NASB, Heb. 13:8; Matt. 16:18; Eph. 2:21; 1Peter 2:5 NASB; Rev. 4:10-11

55. Encouragement for single Christians

gospelriver Practical, Song/Poem September 8, 2011December 1, 2011 2 Comments

from a single Christian

Click for Hymns for the Lonely YouTube Playlist (Listen while you read)

Jesus fills the gap

Are you lonely?
“He hath said, I will never leave thee” (Heb 13:5).
He sends you flowers every spring, and He won’t forget about you. Meditate on Him. (Matthew 6:30)

Do you wish you could spend an evening watching the sunset with your beloved?
Remember that your greatest Lover made the sunset for you to enjoy. Watch it with Him. (1Tim. 6:17)

Do you wish you could walk hand in hand with your beloved?
Remember the One who holds your hand and says, “Fear not” (Isaiah 41:13). You are in His hand (John 10:28). Walk with Him.

Do you long for children to love, teach and nurture for God?
Seek to win souls for Christ, and you will find that you have children to love, teach and nurture (1Cor. 4:15). Witness for Him.

Do you long to look into the eyes of your beloved?
Anticipate that day when you “shall see His face” (Rev. 22:4). Wait and watch expectantly for Him.

Do you long to have someone to share your love and secrets with?
Cherish time in secret with your Bridegroom in heaven (John 14:21). Talk with Him.

Jesus is what none other can ever be

Earthly partners will fall short. They will never satisfy the deepest needs of your soul. Only Christ can truly fill and satisfy the heart, and only He is perfectly suited to meet your need. Give your heart to Him in worship, and He will fill it to overflowing.

The love of an earthly partner may grow dim. The love of Christ is unchanging, enduring, unending, and beyond our understanding (Rom. 8:39, Eph. 3:19).

An earthly partner may not be attentive to your needs. Christ, your Great High Priest, is ever aware of your need, and is touched by your feelings and necessities (Heb. 4:15).

An earthly partner gives a precious ring. Christ gave His priceless life for you, and gave the Spirit as the guarantee of your inheritance (Eph. 5:25, 1:14).

Who made your heart with the capability to love? Who is love in Himself? Surely in Him is love to satisfy the most thirsty soul, and there could be no greater lover than Love Himself.

Jesus is the greatest Lover

The Lord Jesus said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” John 14:21.

“If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” John 14:23.

“And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them” John 17:26.

The love of the Lord Jesus is a personal, individual love. He would have gone to Calvary just for you. Each individual is important to Him, as if there were no one else but you.

The love of the Lord is a constant, ever-present love. You need only seek Him to know that love is there.

Spend time with your Beloved today, and tell Him how much He means to you.

Songs to sing when you’re feeling lonely

His eye is on the sparrow
Give me Jesus
Lean on Me
Oh, the deep, deep love of Jesus
Deep, deep love version 2
Oh love, that will not let me go
You’ll never walk alone
Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Eagles Wings
Above all
As the deer
More precious than silver
How deep the Father’s love for us
O glorious love
Power of Your love
My Jesus I love Thee
There is none like You

Dealing with inner struggles

Pride expects things for myself, as if I deserved them, and consequently has no reason to be thankful. Humility understands that God’s favor and blessings are undeserved, and every good and perfect gift comes from His loving hand.

Appreciation for living for God can be seen in an African missionary’s words, “Say not sacrifice, but privilege.” The Lord Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him take up his cross, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). That is sacrifice. The early disciples rejoiced to be counted worthy to suffer for His name. That is privilege. Following Christ is a privilege, and it will mean showing our love to Christ by giving up things that we naturally want for ourselves, out of love to Him. I wonder if my spiritual condition is such that I could do the same? When we can, Christ will grow nearer in our hearts, and we will have learned an invaluable lesson that will put us in good stead the rest of our lives, whether married or single.

We need to understand that all things are in God’s control (Ephesians 1:11). If I am single, then He has allowed that or determined that for a purpose. It is not my place to blame my all-knowing, all-powerful Guide and Lord, but to accept the will of the One who called me to serve Him.

With whatever trying circumstance, one can seek to forget, busy oneself with activity, rise above it, drown in it, or, in contrast, accept it from God. Elizabeth Elliot included a poem by Amy Carmichael in her book Loneliness: It can be a Wilderness. It can be a Pathway to God (also here?) included below:

For in Acceptance Lieth Peace

He said, “I will forget the dying faces;
The empty places,
They shall be filled again.
O voices moaning deep within me, cease.”
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in forgetting lieth peace.

He said, “I will crowd action upon action,
The strife of faction
Shall stir me and sustain;
O tears that drown the fire of manhood, cease.”
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in endeavor lieth peace.

He said, “I will withdraw me and be quiet,
Why meddle in life’s riot?
Shut be my door to pain.
Desire, thou dost befool me, thou shalt cease.”
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in aloofness lieth peace.

He said, “I will submit; I am defeated.
God hath depleted
My life of its rich gain.
O futile murmurings, why will ye not cease?”
But vain the word; vain, vain:
Not in submission lieth peace.

He said, “I will accept the breaking sorrow
Which God tomorrow
Will to His son explain.”
Then did the turmoil deep within him cease.
Not vain the word, not vain;
For in Acceptance lieth peace.

– Amy Carmichael

Why might God desire for me to be single?

We don’t always know God’s reasons. But here are a few ideas that could be reasons for singleness:

Paul explains in 1Corinthians 7 that singleness may allow me to better serve the Lord, and bring greater blessing to others than if I were married. Some work can best be done when single, without the cares and needs of a family to attend to. Though caring for one’s family is truly living for God, it is not directly related to ministering to God’s people or winning the lost (though it may very well be viewed as preparing young hearts to have lives for Christ). It may even be that this service is only temporary, and after it is complete, marriage will take place.
Perhaps I am not ready for married life and have not yet learned the lessons necessary for a healthy, God-honoring marriage.
Only the Lord knows the future. He knows what could happen if I were to marry. Perhaps a single life would shield from unforeseen evils, pain, or suffering.
Perhaps God has not brought Mr. or Miss Right into my life yet.
God may have some lessons for me to learn as a single individual before marriage that I could not learn otherwise. For instance, if the pain of loneliness causes me to come into a deeper knowledge of the presence of Christ and a greater intimacy with Him, then that single life will be well worth it. Perhaps the Lord would like to teach me a lesson in patience and waiting on Him. If I fight it, it may simply prolong my singleness. If I learn His lesson and bow my will to His, He will lead me on.

Panic Attack

Perhaps you are saying, “But I’m getting older! I don’t have much time left. The time is running out!”

The Bible says in response, “the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none….” A day is coming when none will be married except to Christ, when the sorrows and trials of this life will give way to the “far better” life that is eternal (Phil. 1:23). The treasures of earth will fade into insignificance in the splendor of the glories of heaven. Then the single Christian who lived his/her life for God will receive a special glory that is greater than sons and daughters (Isaiah 56:5).

Accept God’s best from God’s hand. Realize that God is in control, and God’s time is always best. Let your panic turn into fervent prayer, and look to the Lord for the needed strength.

Along with this, we must note that God does give

A note of balance

Marriage was God’s general desire for mankind from the beginning (Genesis 2:18). Many can actually serve God more effectively in their sphere married than single.

If a person is on your heart, let God guide. Pray much. Marriage is a life commitment. You will have to live with the one you marry for a lifetime. Make sure they are God’s pick, not just yours.

To desire a single life for Christ is honorable, but if you simply cannot do it without giving in to temptation, then God instructs to marry (1Cor. 7:37), for our own preservation and holiness, but only in the LORD (1Cor. 7:39). (That means I should not allow the physical attraction that I have toward an individual to be my direction, but I should make sure that the one I marry is bowing to the will and ways of the Lord in his/her life.)

Please share!

What has helped you to accept God’s plan and purpose for your life?

What blessings have you found from a single life?

54. Jesus said, “I am the way”

gospelriver Devotional, Song/Poem August 23, 2011 0 Comment

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

John 14:6 is so often heard in the gospel, and rightfully so. Paul saw in the way on the road to Damascus, the Way to heaven and from that moment on was found in the way he had previously tried so hard to destroy (Acts 26:13,9:2,9:17). I hadn’t heard of John Stott, but recently ran across a quote of his that I appreciated: “Before we can begin to see the cross as something done for us (leading us to faith and worship), we have to see it as something done by us (leading us to repentance)… As we face the cross, then, we can say to ourselves both ‘I did it; my sins sent Him there’, and ‘He did it; His love took Him there.'”

But John 14:6 was not spoken to unbelievers… it was spoken to His disciples. What can I learn from that? The two in the way on the road to Emmaeus were asked, ‘What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?’ They replied, ‘Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?’ (Luke 24). How sympathizing was the Lord to listen to them pour out their grief, sadness and unfulfilled expectations… with no defense whatsoever to correct their view of Him as a stranger or His lack of knowledge… the only One who really did know all the things that had so recently happened. He didn’t just fill them with the glad hope of the future either… He showed them the purpose of the present. ‘Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?’ There was a reason… glory to God would be the result.

How often am I tempted to say, ‘Don’t You know?’. Of course He knows! And just as He spoke to those two, He wants to speak to me of all people (and you too!). He is the way… He’s not just the beginning and the ending… He wants to be known as the entire way in between as well. Am I too occupied with getting to the end of the road that I miss the things He wants to show me about Himself along the way? He wants me to know Him and His (fill in the blank with whatever need that is felt lacking), appreciating Him here and now, whatever that might mean. He can bring through each and every circumstance and wants each one to know Him better every step of the way. Am I surrendered to let Him be my way? Not just the beginning in salvation and the end if death comes before His return, but step by step. Oh to be able to say, ‘Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures?’ Luke 24:32. Can hardly imagine that this would be true, but what if when I get to the ultimate destination of heaven and see Him, if like these two, I’ll want to turn around and come all the way back… can’t imagine that to be so, but it’s neat to think that He’s just as much with me now as He will be then, and there are things He wants me to learn of Him every step of the way! His promise was ‘I am with you alway’ Matt 28:20 and in John 14:19-20 He said, ‘the world seeth Me no more; but ye see Me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in Me, and I in you.’

“If now, with eyes defiled and dim,
We see the signs, but see not Him,
O may His love the scales displace
And bid us see Him face to face.”

(Believers Hymn Book #363)

– by Tabitha Bruley

The day had gone; alone and weak
I groped my way within a bleak
And sunless land.
The path that led into the light
I could not find! In that dark
night God took my hand.
He led me that I might not stray,
And brought me by a new, safe way
I had not known.
By waters still, through pastures green
I followed Him–the path was clean
Of briar and stone.
The heavy darkness lost its strength,
My waiting eyes beheld at length
The streaking dawn.
On, safely on, through sunrise glow
I walked, my hand in His, and lo,
The night had gone.
–Annie Porter Johnson

52. The Man of Sorrows (hymn)

gospelriver Song/Poem August 10, 2011 0 Comment

1. O Lord, Thy wondrous story
Our inmost soul doth move,
And, ending in the glory,
We trace Thy path of love.

2. No eye was found to pity,
No heart to bear Thy woe,
But shame, and scorn, and spitting:
None cared Thy Name to know.

3. O day of greatest sorrow,
Day of unfathomed grief!
When Thou didst taste the horror
Of wrath without relief.

4. Thus, with all grief acquainted,
Blest Man of sorrows here,
Thy love, by ill untainted,
To death Thy feet did bear.

5. In death, obedience yielding
To God Thy Father’s will,
Love still its power was wielding
To meet all human ill.

6. But, O divine Sojourner,
Midst man’s unfathomed ill,
Love that made Thee a mourner,
It is not man’s to tell!

7. We worship when we see Thee
In all Thy sorrowing path;
We long soon to be with Thee
Who bore for us the wrath!

8. Come then, expected Saviour;
Thou Man of sorrows, Come!
Almighty, blest Deliv’rer,
And take us to Thee – home.

J. N. Darby

Note: this comes from a much longer poem, found here.

I found this audio clip of it online…

The Man of Sorrows

51. He Humbled Himself

gospelriver Devotional, Song/Poem July 18, 2011December 1, 2011 0 Comment

“And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ” Philippians 2:8

The Father of eternity came into time as a babe. (Isaiah 9:6)

The Son of God came into the world through an earthly mother.

The Bread of Life was in a manger laid.

The Lord from heaven dwelt in despised Nazareth.

The Creator of all things labored as a carpenter.

The Holy One touched a leper.

The Almighty was wearied with His journey (John 4:6).

The All-knowing, All-powerful One submitted to those who came to arrest Him.

He who upholds the universe with His word spoke not a word in His own defense (Heb. 1:3).

The One who pronounced the curse upon man that sinned was made a curse for man.

The sinless One bore the iniquity of us all…

Maker of the Universe

The Maker of the universe,
As Man for man was made a curse.
The claims of Law which He had made,
Unto the uttermost He paid.

His holy fingers made the bough,
Which grew the thorns that crowned His brow.
The nails that pierced His hands were mined
In secret places He designed.

He made the forest whence there sprung
The tree on which His body hung.
He died upon a cross of wood,
Yet made the hill on which it stood.

The sky that darkened o’er His head,
By Him above the earth was spread.
The sun that hid from Him its face
By His decree was poised in space.

The spear which spilled His precious blood
Was tempered in the fires of God.
The grave in which His form was laid
Was hewn in rocks His hands had made.

The throne on which He now appears
Was His from everlasting years.
But a new glory crowns His brow,
And every knee to Him shall bow.

– F. W. Pitt

(Click to hear a song with these words)
Here is another song that I have enjoyed, along the same theme…

Bow the Knee