1. Tis not that I did choose Thee,
For Lord, that could not be;
This heart would still refuse Thee,
Hadst Thou not chosen me.
Thou from the sin that stained me
Hast cleansed and set me free;
Of old Thou hast ordained me,
That I should live to Thee.
2 ’Twas sovereign mercy called me
And taught my opening mind;
The world had else enthralled me,
To heav’nly glories blind.
My heart owns none before Thee,
For Thy rich grace I thirst;
This knowing, if I love Thee,
Thou must have loved me first.

Author: Josiah Conder

Tune: The Church’s One Foundation

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The Free, Sovereign Grace of God!
“Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified.” Romans 8:30
The justified sinner stands the closest to God of any created being in the universe. Nearer to the throne of the Eternal, he cannot stand.
What marvelous love!
Who will dare assert that salvation is not, from first to last, of free sovereign grace!
Let your eye pierce the veil which falls between earth and heaven. Behold that shining, worshiping being, standing so near to the throne of glory, bathed in the overpowering effulgence of its rays! Who is he? He was once a sinner upon earth, the vilest of his race, the dishonored of his generation, forsaken by man and abhorred of God.
But the Lord Jesus met him, and divine love drew him, and sovereign grace rescued, pardoned, and saved him!
And now washed from all his guilt by the blood, freed from all condemnation by the righteousness of Christ he stands before the throne "blameless," a "king and a priest unto God." Such is the great love of Jesus! And all this grace, and all this glory, and all this bliss flows from the free, sovereign grace of God!
Those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified."
--Octavius Winslow
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The Good Shepherd
"I Am the Good Shepherd.
The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep!
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;
no one can snatch them out of My hand!" John 10:11, 28
Every part of our salvation, requires the exertion of infinite wisdom and almighty power. Jesus is the Shepherd of all who believe in Him. We depend upon Him—and He gives us the effectual help which we need. He is intimately acquainted with us—and knows every thought and intent of our hearts. He has His eye always upon us. His ear is always open to us. His arm is ever stretched out for our relief. We can receive nothing—but what He bestows upon us. We can do nothing—but as He enables us. Nor can we stand a moment—but as He upholds us!
It is amazing to me that I do not find my heart all on fire with love to Jesus when I consider from what misery I am redeemed; to what happiness I am called; and what a price was paid for my soul! Alas! alas! my guilt and grief are that my thoughts of Jesus are so faint, and so infrequent; and that my commendations of Him are so lamentably cold and disproportionate to what they ought to be!
Yet, if the heart is right with God, and sincerely affected with the wonders of redeeming love, our gracious High Priest, who knows our weakness, will pity and pardon what is amiss, and accept our poor efforts! (From the Letters of John Newton)
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The Fashion of This World
“And they that use this world as not abusing it:
for the fashion of this world passeth away.” (1 Cor. 7:31).
Paul previously stated that the ‘time is short’ to these brethren here in Corinth; we need to be continually reminded as well. We desire to see Christ honored and glorified in all our situations upon this earth while we are here, for the time is short. We are really only here a very short time indeed! The fashion of this world is like the old view master I used to play with as a child, put in one of those circle cards and look at the pictures; ever changing scenes after every click of the toggle. Click, click, one view then another, ever changing scenes, never staying the same. Do not get too attached to the things of this world; enjoy them, use them just do not abuse them (constantly aiming at them and worrying about them). We are to be consistently looking forward and towards our Lord Jesus Christ and His lovely return. The Lord has blessed us with many ‘things’ but always remember that ONE thing needful: Christ: have Him and nothing will ever be the same nor will we want it to be the same. Come quickly Lord Jesus. --Drew Deitz